IPCC Report.pdf - Adam Curry

Glossary of TermsAnnex IIor anthropogenic external forcing (external variability). See also Climatechange.Cold days/cold nightsDays where maximum temperature, or nights where minimumtemperature, falls below the 10th percentile, where the respectivetemperature distributions are generally defined with respect to the1961-1990 reference period.Community-based disaster risk managementSee Local disaster risk management.ConfidenceConfidence in the validity of a finding, based on the type, amount,quality, and consistency of evidence and on the degree of agreement.Confidence is expressed qualitatively.Control runA model run carried out to provide a ‘baseline’ for comparison withclimate change experiments. The control run uses constant values forthe radiative forcing due to greenhouse gases and anthropogenicaerosols appropriate to pre-industrial conditions.ConvectionVertical motion driven by buoyancy forces arising from static instability,usually caused by near-surface cooling or increases in salinity in the caseof the ocean and near-surface warming in the case of the atmosphere.At the location of convection, the horizontal scale is approximately thesame as the vertical scale, as opposed to the large contrast betweenthese scales in the general circulation. The net vertical mass transport isusually much smaller than the upward and downward exchange.CopingThe use of available skills, resources, and opportunities to address,manage, and overcome adverse conditions, with the aim of achievingbasic functioning in the short to medium term.Coping capacityThe ability of people, organizations, and systems, using available skills,resources, and opportunities, to address, manage, and overcomeadverse conditions.Detection and attributionClimate varies continually on all time scales. Detection of climatechange is the process of demonstrating that climate has changed insome defined statistical sense, without providing a reason for thatchange. Attribution of causes of climate change is the process ofestablishing the most likely causes for the detected change with somedefined level of confidence.DiabaticA process in which external heat is gained or lost by the system.DisasterSevere alterations in the normal functioning of a community or a societydue to hazardous physical events interacting with vulnerable socialconditions, leading to widespread adverse human, material, economic,or environmental effects that require immediate emergency response tosatisfy critical human needs and that may require external support forrecovery.Disaster managementSocial processes for designing, implementing, and evaluating strategies,policies, and measures that promote and improve disaster preparedness,response, and recovery practices at different organizational and societallevels.Disaster riskThe likelihood over a specified time period of severe alterations in thenormal functioning of a community or a society due to hazardousphysical events interacting with vulnerable social conditions, leading towidespread adverse human, material, economic, or environmentaleffects that require immediate emergency response to satisfy criticalhuman needs and that may require external support for recovery.Disaster risk management (DRM)Processes for designing, implementing, and evaluating strategies,policies, and measures to improve the understanding of disaster risk,foster disaster risk reduction and transfer, and promote continuousimprovement in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery practices,with the explicit purpose of increasing human security, well-being,quality of life, and sustainable development.Disaster risk reduction (DRR)Denotes both a policy goal or objective, and the strategic andinstrumental measures employed for anticipating future disaster risk;reducing existing exposure, hazard, or vulnerability; and improvingresilience.Diurnal temperature rangeThe difference between the maximum and minimum temperatureduring a 24-hour period.DownscalingDownscaling is a method that derives local- to regional-scale (up to100 km) information from larger-scale models or data analyses. The fulldefinition is provided in Section 3.2.3.DroughtA period of abnormally dry weather long enough to cause a serioushydrological imbalance. Drought is a relative term (see Box 3-3),therefore any discussion in terms of precipitation deficit must refer tothe particular precipitation-related activity that is under discussion. Forexample, shortage of precipitation during the growing season impingeson crop production or ecosystem function in general (due to soil moisture558