Regional Pilot Studies Workshop (5-7 June 2013)

Workshop on Regional Pilot Studies, Braunschweig, 5-7 June 2013

The purpose of the Regional Pilot Studies is a simultaneous and interlinked development of a common conceptual framework and actual models and model links. The overall aim of MACSUR is to assist policy makers and actors in the agri-food chain in identifying effective and efficient adaptation and mitigation measures and potential consequence scenarios, e.g. impact on food yield, quality, nutritive value, disease load etc. in perceived hotspots of climate impacts.

Map showing the location of regional pilot studies At a workshop in Braunschweig (5 - 7 June 2013) MACSUR participants met to define a concrete question to be answered in regional studies as an example for the application of integrated models. "What would be the different contributions of different European adaptation strategies to global food security until 2050 at different scales (farm to EU) while keeping the GHG targets? What investments are necessary? What are the implications?" The Regional Pilot Studies represent the farming systems in northern, central and southern Europe and will expand existing case studies. For compatibility with international research networks AgMIP and ISIMIP the Regional Pilot Studies will apply the new Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (especially SSP2 "continuation" but also SSP3 "fragmentation") in conjunction with the Representative CO₂ Concentration Pathway of 8.5 W/m² (most similar to the SRES A2 emission scenario of the IPCC reports).

Till the end of June more details of the Regional Pilot Studies will be set and announced. Stakeholders will be asked to comment on expected model outputs in October. Model results and data will be exchanged among models via 'adapter software' developed in MACSUR that translates different formats. First results will be presented at the MACSUR mid-term meeting in April 2014.

The report on the workshop is available here (PDF).