Chapter 2
Climate Change in Central
and Eastern Europe
Ivonne Anders, Judith Stagl, Ingeborg Auer, and Dirk Pavlik
2.1 Preface and Definitions
Along with the increasing world population and the technological advancement
during the last centuries both energy consumption and the demand for land have
increased simultaneously. Climate change at its estimated pace poses serious challenges for society, policy, and the economy. In order to develop suitable strategies
for adaptation, fundamental knowledge about the climate in the past, present, and
potentially in the future is required on a global and a regional scale. Thus, a scientific
assessment of observed and projected changes of climate variables and indices is an
inevitable precondition for appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures.
Because the terms “weather” and “climate” are often misunderstood, a few
general definitions have to be explained first. While “weather” means the state of
the atmosphere in a certain moment, hour, day, or week, “climate” is defined as the
statistical description of weather, including averages and variability as well as the
return intervals of extremes over a period of at least 30 years [defined by the World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO)] (WMO 2011). The most relevant climate
parameters characterising this period are surface variables- air temperature, precipitation, radiation, humidity, cloud cover and wind. Closely related to this definition
I. Anders (*) • I. Auer
Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics,
Hohe Warte 38 1190, Vienna, Austria
e-mail: Ivonne.Anders@zamg.ac.at; Ingeborg.Auer@zamg.ac.at
J. Stagl
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, P.O. Box 601203,
14412 Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, Germany
e-mail: judith.stagl@pik-potsdam.de
D. Pavlik
Department of Hydrosciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences,
Technische Universita ¨t Dresden, Pienner Straße 21/23, 01737 Tharandt, Germany
e-mail: dirk.pavlik@tu-dresden.de
S. Rannow and M. Neubert (eds.), Managing Protected Areas in Central
and Eastern Europe Under Climate Change, Advances in Global Change Research 58,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7960-0_2, © The Author(s) 2014
17
Climate Change in Central
and Eastern Europe
Ivonne Anders, Judith Stagl, Ingeborg Auer, and Dirk Pavlik
2.1 Preface and Definitions
Along with the increasing world population and the technological advancement
during the last centuries both energy consumption and the demand for land have
increased simultaneously. Climate change at its estimated pace poses serious challenges for society, policy, and the economy. In order to develop suitable strategies
for adaptation, fundamental knowledge about the climate in the past, present, and
potentially in the future is required on a global and a regional scale. Thus, a scientific
assessment of observed and projected changes of climate variables and indices is an
inevitable precondition for appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures.
Because the terms “weather” and “climate” are often misunderstood, a few
general definitions have to be explained first. While “weather” means the state of
the atmosphere in a certain moment, hour, day, or week, “climate” is defined as the
statistical description of weather, including averages and variability as well as the
return intervals of extremes over a period of at least 30 years [defined by the World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO)] (WMO 2011). The most relevant climate
parameters characterising this period are surface variables- air temperature, precipitation, radiation, humidity, cloud cover and wind. Closely related to this definition
I. Anders (*) • I. Auer
Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics,
Hohe Warte 38 1190, Vienna, Austria
e-mail: Ivonne.Anders@zamg.ac.at; Ingeborg.Auer@zamg.ac.at
J. Stagl
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, P.O. Box 601203,
14412 Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, Germany
e-mail: judith.stagl@pik-potsdam.de
D. Pavlik
Department of Hydrosciences, Faculty of Environmental Sciences,
Technische Universita ¨t Dresden, Pienner Straße 21/23, 01737 Tharandt, Germany
e-mail: dirk.pavlik@tu-dresden.de
S. Rannow and M. Neubert (eds.), Managing Protected Areas in Central
and Eastern Europe Under Climate Change, Advances in Global Change Research 58,
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-7960-0_2, © The Author(s) 2014
17