The TU Delft Climate Institute focuses on observing and understanding climate-relevant processes and driving policy adaptation and mitigation based on climate knowledge. It hosts interdisciplinary research programs, collaborates with various faculties, and organizes academic activities like seminars and debates. The institute addresses critical themes such as extreme weather, clouds and aerosols, sea level rise, and climate policy.

1. TU Delft Climate Institute
overview
Herman Russchenberg
2-3-2012
Delft
University of
Technology
Challenge the future

2. Global warming
Video op http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHZzACcYJRo
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 2

3. Global warming: past and future?
1750-2005
high
Level of understanding
low
Cooling effect Warming effect
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 3

4. Forcings, feedbacks, consequences
e.g. water vapour, melted ice,clouds
Weather
Sea level
Public health
Agriculture
Infrastructures
Safety
Food
Economy
e.g. clouds
e.g. greenhouse gases, aerosols
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 4

5. Global warming: state of the art (1)
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 5

6. Global warming: state of the art (2)
Response of the earth
Additional warming
Direct warming due to CO2
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 6

7. Uncertainties
Understanding Consequences
• Sub-grid processes
• Mitigation
• Long term observations
• Adaptation
• Feedbacks and forcings
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 7

8. TU Delft Climate Institute
Focus
• Observation of climate-relevant geo-physical parameters: needs,
methods and technologies
• Understanding of climate-relevant geo-physical processes:
experiment, modeling, parameterization and simulation
• Policy, adaptation and mitigation models and methods based on
climate knowledge.
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 8

9. The Delft landscape
Faculty Disciplines
Aerospace Engineering earth system observation, climate-related satellite missions, data
retrieval, validation & calibration, atmospheric observatories, mass
transport, sea level
Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and sensor technology, (interactive) visualization, data bases,
Computer Science computational mathematics, modeling, data assimilation
Civil Engineering and Geophysics water management, hydrology, earth and atmospheric science,
earth observation, fluid dynamics, geology
Applied Physics aerosol physics, bio-technology, multi-scale physics, space
technology
Mechanical and Maritime Engineering Fluid dynamics, air quality
Architecture climate-adaptive architecture, climate resilient cities, geomatics
Technology, Policy and Management complex systems, climate ethics, climate policy
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 9

10. Governance structure and collaborations
• Campus network organization, hosted by the Department
Geosciences and Remote Sensing
• Small progam office
3TU Data Centre
• Since many activities will deal with observation, simulations
and data, close collaboration with the 3TU Data Centre is
foreseen.
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 10

11. TU Delft Climate Institute
activities
• Initiate joint, inter-facultary research programs with national
and international partners
• Define national observation/infrastructure programs
• Deploy academic activities like seminars, workshops, debates,
lecture series
• Invite renowned guest scientists for a stay at Delft
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 11

12. 2012 themes
• Extreme weather and the city
• Clouds, aerosols and radiation
• Mass transport and sea level rise
• Climate information and policy
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 12

13. Program for today
14:00 – 16:30 Scientific Programme
14:00 – 15:15 Presentations on selected themes of the TU Delft Climate Institute:
Prof. Herman Russchenberg – Overview TU Delft Climate Institute
Dr. Marie Claire ten Veldhuis – Extreme weather and the city
Prof. Harm Jonker – Clouds and climate
Dr. Bert Vermeersen –Sea level rise
Dr. Andrew Bollinger – Climate policy
15:15 – 15:30 Coffee break
15:30 – 16:30 Panel discussion: Challenges in climate science and policy
Dr. Appy Sluijs (Utrecht University)
Prof. Bram Bregman (Radboud University, KNMI)
Prof. Bart van den Hurk (IMAU, KNMI)
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 13

14. Panel discussion
• How anthropogenic is global warming?
• Which topic should have the highest priority in climate research?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of climate research in
The Netherlands?
• Is energy policy the same as climate policy?
• How should the scientific community participate in the public
debate?
Opening TUDelft Climate Institute 14