TY - CHAP

T1 - Introduction to the Assessment - Characteristics of the Region

AU - Quante, Markus

AU - Colijn, Franciscus

AU - Bakker, Jan P.

AU - Härdtle, Werner

AU - Heinrich, Hartmut

AU - Lefebvre, Christiana

AU - Nöhren, Ingeborg

AU - Olesen, Jørgen E.

AU - Pohlmann, Thomas

AU - Sterr, Horst

AU - Sündermann, Jürgen

AU - Tölle, Merja Helena

PY - 2016/9/1

Y1 - 2016/9/1

N2 - This scene-setting chapter provides the basis for the climate change-related assessments presented in later chapters of this book. It opens with an overview of the geography, demography and major human activities of the North Sea and its boundary countries. This is followed by a series of sections describing the geological and climatic evolution of the North Sea basin, the topography and hydrography of the North Sea (i.e. boundary forcing; thermohaline, wind-driven and tidally-driven regimes; and transport processes), and its current atmospheric climate (focussing on circulation, wind, temperature, precipitation, radiation and cloud cover). This physical description is followed by a review of North Sea ecosystems. Marine and coastal ecosystems are addressed in terms of ecological habitats, ecological dynamics, and human-induced stresses representing a threat (i.e. eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, fisheries, contaminants, tourism, ports, non-indigenous species and climate change). Terrestrial coastal range vegetation is addressed in terms of natural vegetation (salt marshes, dunes, moors/bogs, tundra and alpine vegetation, and forests), semi-natural vegetation (heathlands and grasslands), agricultural areas and artificial surfaces.

AB - This scene-setting chapter provides the basis for the climate change-related assessments presented in later chapters of this book. It opens with an overview of the geography, demography and major human activities of the North Sea and its boundary countries. This is followed by a series of sections describing the geological and climatic evolution of the North Sea basin, the topography and hydrography of the North Sea (i.e. boundary forcing; thermohaline, wind-driven and tidally-driven regimes; and transport processes), and its current atmospheric climate (focussing on circulation, wind, temperature, precipitation, radiation and cloud cover). This physical description is followed by a review of North Sea ecosystems. Marine and coastal ecosystems are addressed in terms of ecological habitats, ecological dynamics, and human-induced stresses representing a threat (i.e. eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, offshore oil and gas, renewable energy, fisheries, contaminants, tourism, ports, non-indigenous species and climate change). Terrestrial coastal range vegetation is addressed in terms of natural vegetation (salt marshes, dunes, moors/bogs, tundra and alpine vegetation, and forests), semi-natural vegetation (heathlands and grasslands), agricultural areas and artificial surfaces.

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - Wind Farm

KW - Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer

KW - Sunshine Duration

KW - German Bight

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/ab10ff08-7384-3016-966e-067d60c0e779/

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-39745-0_1

DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-39745-0_1

M3 - Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

SN - 978-3-319-39743-6

T3 - Regional Climate Studies

SP - 1

EP - 52

BT - North Sea Region Climate Change Assessment

A2 - Quante, Markus

A2 - Colijn, Franciscus

PB - Springer

CY - Cham

ER -