Climate Sense

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bserving

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redicting

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onditions

artificial snow can compensate somewhat during warm

and snowless winters.

An opinion poll carried out in these two villages showed

that about 70 per cent of adult inhabitants feel well

informed about climate change. However, special ques-

tionnaires distributed in regional schools indicated that

the sample of 14 to 15 years old adolescents were unsatis-

fied with their information level on climate change.

Simplified but nevertheless correct information and

cooperation was at the centre of the concept from the start.

Start-up meetings were held in each of the municipalities

and partner schools. Those meetings, held in January

2006, offered lectures presented in an understandable

scientific language, keeping in mind scientific correctness

and sufficient time for personal thoughts, discussions and

questions. In July 2006 three science days were organ-

ized in the project region. Public scientific lectures and

informative posters were combined with talks from local

authorities and supplemented by a ‘scientific walk’ to the

high mountain Sonnblick Observatory (3106 metres).

This involves a walk through climate sensitive vegetation

zones near the glacier region up to the high alpine area.

Scientific knowledge of climatology, glaciology, tree-ring

research, biology, history and sociology were merged with

local expertise to produce the experience.

Since glaciers constitute highly visible evidence of

climate warming a glacier trail has been constructed in

cooperation with the alpine club Naturfreunde. This

Gletscherlehrpfad Goldbergkees

guides participants

through the history of climate and glaciers. Thirteen

information boards have been installed to form a trail,

which runs between 2,190 and 2,395 metres above sea

level, to document long-term glacier retreat and its rela-

tionship to climate.

Special partnerships have been established between

the project team and schools to promote the idea of

‘cognition = research + education’.

Climate change

topics have been integrated with the curriculums of

more than one field of study including: physics and

chemistry, geography and economy, history, biology,

language courses and even music. Besides dealing with

ecological and economical questions students gained

insight into the work and methods of scientists. A

follow-up effect is also expected with the transfer of

this newly acquired climate change awareness from the

school children to their families.

Another good example how to raise awareness on

climate change in school pupils is demonstrated by

the efforts of the children of Hauptschule Rauris. On

the occasion of the annual

Rauriser Literaturtage

they

presented their thoughts and attitudes on climate

change in the form of songs, stories and poems.

During the running time of the

A Tale of Two Valleys

study local scenarios were developed and presented

to the citizens of Rauris and Flattach. The majority of

residents favoured a scenario based on sustainability.

However, on the other hand, the majority of residents

did not believe that the sustainability scenario was the

one likely to be selected.

mass loss for Wurtenkees. On average Wurtenkees loses about 1 metre

(mean over total glacier size) of ice per year under the present climate.

As maximum ice thickness for this glacier is less than 80 metres, the

vanishing of most of the glacier area is to be expected within a few

decades.

Several studies

were carried out to understand the climate-

glacier mass balance relationship for the glaciers of the Alps and

the Sonnblick region in particular. It was shown that only the

summer season (melting of snow and ice) and not the winter season

(accumulation of snow) estimates affects annual net balance. Such

studies have shown that only summer balance is highly correlated to

annual net balance and that variability of summer balance is much

higher compared to winter balance. However, it has to be taken into

account that this result is derived from observations going back only

as far as 1983 (a period with strong glacier retreat) and that in earlier

periods this relationship may well have been different.

An important discussion in Alpine glaciology refers to the question

of the contribution of such glaciers to river flow. This was studied in

the small catchment area of Goldbergkees (close to Sonnblick),

well as in the much larger catchment area of Upper Pinzgau (river

Salzach). Upper Pinzgau covers about 600 square kilometres, of

which 5 per cent is glacierized. Detailed modelling approaches

show

that for a year with average climate conditions the contribution of

glaciers to the river flow of the main rivers of the Alps is negligible.

However, under climate conditions measured in 2003 the contribu-

tion of glaciers to the river flow of larger rivers was significant and

ranged up to 70 per cent in August 2003 for the Salzach in Upper

Pinzgau. Because 2003 can be used as a realistic scenario for future

climate states (up to around 2100) the importance of the glaciers to

river flow can be easily estimated. If glaciers vanish in the future we

can expect a significant deficit for the large rivers of the Alps, as well

as a net loss of discharge for smaller rivers.

Local climate information for two central Alpine valleys in an

inter- and trans-disciplinary dialogue

Events such as the latest International Scientific Congress on

Climate Change in Copenhagen have roused public knowledge

of climate change to some extent. However, do people really feel

sufficiently informed and what are their opinions and attitudes on

climate change?

A Tale of two Valleys – the contrary strategies in two

neighboring Alpine valleys to deal with climate variability and climate

change

, an Austrian interdisciplinary research project on regional

climate change

(www.zamg.ac.at/a-tale-of-two-valleys

) combined

the local knowledge of people in region and scientists to create an

overall picture of the perception of climate change. Schools and

selected stakeholders have also formed part of the project team to

cover the aspects of long-term climate variability, natural dangers

and risks, landscape and land-use, tourism, employment and

income, demography, mobility, education and gender.

Two small municipalities confronted with regional climate change

impacts decided to develop local scenarios in response. Income

for both municipalities is largely dependent on winter tourism.

However, the dominant touristic concepts are somewhat contradic-

tory. The first concept is a glacier ski resort called Mölltaler Gletscher

in Flattach (1,373 inhabitants and an employment rate of 47 per

cent). This clashes with the other idea of a national park concept and

a fairly small ‘family and 50+ skiing region’ in Rauris (3,107 inhab-

itants and an employment rate of 45 per cent). Touristic income

and employment bears a close relation to snow availability, although