Climate Exchange

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ransport

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nfrastructure

NCC, Hubei Meteorological Bureau and Chongqing Meteorological

Bureau, which is targeted to provide climate information for the Three

Gorges project. In 2009, three 100-metre gradient tower observation

stations, 12 visibility observation stations and 15 multi-variable auto-

matic weather observation stations were added in response to the need

for safe operation of the Three Gorges project.

Based on the data provided by the local climate monitoring system of

the Three Gorges reservoir area, an annual monitoring report including

general climate characteristics, major disasters and their impacts has

been produced since 1996. Climate monitoring reports for four seasons

have been added since 2000. In 2005, a direct instant response system

for climate events and meteorological disasters in the Three Gorges

reservoir area was established, with the addition of a

Special Report on

Eco-environmental Monitoring of the Three Gorges Project (Express)

to issue

timely information on the occurrence and impacts of climate disasters.

Up to July 2012, NCC CMA has published 16 issues of the

Climate

Monitoring Bulletin of the Three Gorges Project,

45 issues of the

Local Climate

Monitoring Quarterly Report of the Three Gorges Project and 226 issues of the

Special Report on Eco-Environment Monitoring of the Three Gorges Project.

In response to the influence of future climate change on the safe opera-

tion of the Three Gorges project, expected changes of the mean climate

and extreme climate events in the Three Gorges during 2015 to 2050

were projected based on the results of global and regional climatemodels.

Experiences

Different design philosophies, project characteristics and functions of

large engineering projects have different sensitivities to climate change

and extreme events. We need to build on the lessons learned from our

experience of working with climate adaptation on large engineering

projects.

First, the right climate data and information is needed to support

decision- and policy-making.

Descriptions of current and future climate and impacts are necessary,

but often insufficient. The data and information must be relevant, inter-

preted in the context of the decision required and able to be integrated

with other relevant information within the decision- or policy-making

processes.

The climate services needed for large engineering projects require

the continuous assessment of climate information during the different

stages of confirmation, construction and operation of large engineer-

ing projects. Users’ needs for the climate information change during

different stages. In order to meet users’ demands, climate

monitoring, impact assessment, adaptation options and

climate information publishing need to be adjusted based

on user feedback.

Climate monitoring data are the basis of climate serv-

ices for large engineering projects. If existing climate

monitoring can’t fully meet the climate service demands

of these projects, intensive climate observation should

be conducted to meet their construction and operation

requirements. This can be approached from the observa-

tion network layout, observation elements and frequency.

The timescale of climate services for large engineering

projects covers pre-evaluation, real-time evaluation and

projection. The content includes environmental impact

and risk assessment before project creation; assessment

during the construction and operation; the influence

of regional climate on the security of large engineer-

ing projects; and adaption measures to climate change.

Therefore, assessment methods should be diversified for

different timescales and content.

Experience has also shown that sustained engagement

of users and providers of climate information, supporting

continuous learning and sharing, offers the potential for

effectively addressing limitations. This engagement can

promote continuous improvements in products and their

delivery informed by an understanding of users’ needs and

science capabilities and developments (both of which are

continually evolving).

Remaining challenges and continuing efforts

Climate data and information is traditionally targeted to

describe past, present and – in the case of scenarios and

projections – future climates. These are essential, but in

the case of supporting adaptation decision-making, they

can fall short of meeting requirements and lead to inac-

tion. Addressing this challenge is easier said than done,

but is increasingly being recognized as necessary for

successful adaptation.

With rapid economic growth, the demand for climate

services among large engineering projects in China is

constantly increasing. We should apply our successful

experiences into other fields by summarizing past climate

service practice on large engineering projects.

There is limited understanding of the nature and capaci-

ties of the evolving, diverse and growing user communities,

especially the decision- and policy-making communities.

There is a need to improve understanding of what climate

data and information are needed and how they can inform

decision-making and policy development processes, espe-

cially when faced with the associated uncertainties and

complexities of climate vulnerabilities and risks, and adap-

tation responses.

Understanding is also limited when it comes to the real

needs of user communities as they strive to understand

vulnerabilities and risks and to assess, implement and

evaluate adaptation responses. Sustained engagement is

needed among users and providers of climate information,

reflecting the evolving nature and scope of users and their

needs and the updating of available climate information.

Image: CMA

Local climate observation station near the Three Gorges Reservoir Area