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RD&D-Programme 2004 - SKB

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Glacial<br />

Permafrost<br />

Permafrost<br />

Boreal<br />

Boreal<br />

Temperate<br />

Figure 21-2. Climate-related changes can be viewed as a cycle with successive transitions<br />

between periods of different length when different climate domains prevail.<br />

greenhouse gases, the current period of warm interglacial climate may turn out to be very long.<br />

This is another conceivable future scenario.<br />

Current knowledge of the earth’s climate system is not sufficient to predict the climate over<br />

the long spans of time involved here. There are great uncertainties associated with each climate<br />

scenario, both ice age and greenhouse scenarios. Based on current knowledge, it is however<br />

possible to describe with resonable confidence the limits within which the Scandinavian climate<br />

has varied, and will vary, both in a long-term perspective and with regard to man’s influence on<br />

the climate. If it can be shown that the repository will remain safe during the different possible<br />

climate domains, the actual climatic evolution is of less importance. <strong>SKB</strong> is therefore focusing<br />

its research efforts within the climate field on identifying and understanding the conditions and<br />

processes within each climate domain that are of importance for the repository and its safety.<br />

In the studies of the climate domains, it is important to include conceivable transitions between<br />

different climate domains and to investigate the importance of the duration of the different<br />

domains. An important process in the latter contexts is shoreline displacement. It is caused<br />

above all by the build-up and melting of ice sheets, which are processes that belong to the<br />

glacial domain but is of great importance also for the conditions during both the permafrost<br />

domain and the temperate/boreal domain.<br />

The extent of the continental ice sheet is crucial for the prevailing climate domain. Simulations<br />

of the Scandinavian ice sheet using numerical ice sheet modelling therefore comprise a key<br />

project in <strong>SKB</strong>’s climate programme. A well-underpinned description of the most recent glacial<br />

period – the Weichselian – is necessary to interpret and understand current conditions and to<br />

study many of the climate-related processes that are of importance for the performance and<br />

safety of a deep repository.<br />

292 RD&D-<strong>Programme</strong> <strong>2004</strong>

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