S
Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
Temperature of the sea at surface level. Units: degree Celsius
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Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs)
What they are
SSPs are a set of five standard scenarios that represent possible future socioeconomic development. They include narratives about different socioeconomic developments, such as Sustainability, Middle of the Road, Regional Rivalry, Inequality, and Fossil-fuel Development. The SSPs were designed to reflect worlds in which mitigation and adaptation challenges vary from low to very high. While the baseline SSP scenarios assume an absence of climate policy, researchers also wanted to look at how the underlying socioeconomic conditions would affect the implementation of climate policy.
How they are used
SSPs are used to assess the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation in different socioeconomic contexts. They are also used to derive greenhouse gas emissions scenarios with different climate policies.
How they compare to RCPs
SSPs are closely related to Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), which were used in CMIP5. RCPs are based on greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, while SSPs are based on socioeconomic factors.
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SSPs are a set of five standard scenarios that represent possible future socioeconomic development. They include narratives about different socioeconomic developments, such as Sustainability, Middle of the Road, Regional Rivalry, Inequality, and Fossil-fuel Development. The SSPs were designed to reflect worlds in which mitigation and adaptation challenges vary from low to very high. While the baseline SSP scenarios assume an absence of climate policy, researchers also wanted to look at how the underlying socioeconomic conditions would affect the implementation of climate policy.
How they are used
SSPs are used to assess the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation in different socioeconomic contexts. They are also used to derive greenhouse gas emissions scenarios with different climate policies.
How they compare to RCPs
SSPs are closely related to Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), which were used in CMIP5. RCPs are based on greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, while SSPs are based on socioeconomic factors.
Read More
Snowfall
Soil Moisture Anomaly (SMA)
SMA (Soil Moisture Anomaly) represents the deviation of soil moisture from its long-term average. It is used to assess drought or wetness conditions by comparing current soil moisture levels to historical norms.
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Solar Radiation
The amount of incoming energy from the sun reaching the Earth's surface over a given area and time. Solar radiation influences temperature, evaporation, plant growth, and solar energy potential and is commonly expressed in watts per square meter or related energy units.
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South Asian Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF)
a regional forum that brings together meteorologists and climate experts from South Asian countries to develop consensus-based seasonal climate outlooks for the region, particularly focusing on the summer monsoon season.
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SSP1-2.6
Sustainability – Taking the Green Road (Low challenges to mitigation and adaptation)
The world shifts gradually, but pervasively, toward a more sustainable path, emphasizing more inclusive development that respects perceived environmental boundaries. Management of the global commons slowly improves, educational and health investments accelerate the demographic transition, and the emphasis on economic growth shifts toward a broader emphasis on human well-being. Driven by an increasing commitment to achieving development goals, inequality is reduced both across and within countries. Consumption is oriented toward low material growth and lower resource and energy intensity. Read More
The world shifts gradually, but pervasively, toward a more sustainable path, emphasizing more inclusive development that respects perceived environmental boundaries. Management of the global commons slowly improves, educational and health investments accelerate the demographic transition, and the emphasis on economic growth shifts toward a broader emphasis on human well-being. Driven by an increasing commitment to achieving development goals, inequality is reduced both across and within countries. Consumption is oriented toward low material growth and lower resource and energy intensity. Read More
SSP2-4.5
Middle of the Road (Medium challenges to mitigation and adaptation)
The world follows a path in which social, economic, and technological trends do not shift markedly from historical patterns. Development and income growth proceeds unevenly, with some countries making relatively good progress while others fall short of expectations. Global and national institutions work toward but make slow progress in achieving sustainable development goals. Environmental systems experience degradation, although there are some improvements and overall the intensity of resource and energy use declines. Global population growth is moderate and levels off in the second half of the century. Income inequality persists or improves only slowly and challenges to reducing vulnerability to societal and environmental changes remain. Read More
The world follows a path in which social, economic, and technological trends do not shift markedly from historical patterns. Development and income growth proceeds unevenly, with some countries making relatively good progress while others fall short of expectations. Global and national institutions work toward but make slow progress in achieving sustainable development goals. Environmental systems experience degradation, although there are some improvements and overall the intensity of resource and energy use declines. Global population growth is moderate and levels off in the second half of the century. Income inequality persists or improves only slowly and challenges to reducing vulnerability to societal and environmental changes remain. Read More
SSP3-7.0
Regional Rivalry – A Rocky Road (High challenges to mitigation and adaptation)
A resurgent nationalism, concerns about competitiveness and security, and regional conflicts push countries to increasingly focus on domestic or, at most, regional issues. Policies shift over time to become increasingly oriented toward national and regional security issues. Countries focus on achieving energy and food security goals within their own regions at the expense of broader-based development. Investments in education and technological development decline. Economic development is slow, consumption is material-intensive, and inequalities persist or worsen over time. Population growth is low in industrialized and high in developing countries. A low international priority for addressing environmental concerns leads to strong environmental degradation in some regions. Read More
A resurgent nationalism, concerns about competitiveness and security, and regional conflicts push countries to increasingly focus on domestic or, at most, regional issues. Policies shift over time to become increasingly oriented toward national and regional security issues. Countries focus on achieving energy and food security goals within their own regions at the expense of broader-based development. Investments in education and technological development decline. Economic development is slow, consumption is material-intensive, and inequalities persist or worsen over time. Population growth is low in industrialized and high in developing countries. A low international priority for addressing environmental concerns leads to strong environmental degradation in some regions. Read More
SSP4
Inequality – A Road Divided (Low challenges to mitigation, high challenges to adaptation)
Highly unequal investments in human capital, combined with increasing disparities in economic opportunity and political power, lead to increasing inequalities and stratification both across and within countries. Over time, a gap widens between an internationally-connected society that contributes to knowledge- and capital-intensive sectors of the global economy, and a fragmented collection of lower-income, poorly educated societies that work in a labor intensive, low-tech economy. Social cohesion degrades and conflict and unrest become increasingly common. Technology development is high in the high-tech economy and sectors. The globally connected energy sector diversifies, with investments in both carbon-intensive fuels like coal and unconventional oil, but also low-carbon energy sources. Environmental policies focus on local issues around middle and high income areas. Read More
Highly unequal investments in human capital, combined with increasing disparities in economic opportunity and political power, lead to increasing inequalities and stratification both across and within countries. Over time, a gap widens between an internationally-connected society that contributes to knowledge- and capital-intensive sectors of the global economy, and a fragmented collection of lower-income, poorly educated societies that work in a labor intensive, low-tech economy. Social cohesion degrades and conflict and unrest become increasingly common. Technology development is high in the high-tech economy and sectors. The globally connected energy sector diversifies, with investments in both carbon-intensive fuels like coal and unconventional oil, but also low-carbon energy sources. Environmental policies focus on local issues around middle and high income areas. Read More