Climate change in Cyprus

The Republic of Cyprus, as an island nation geographically situated in the Middle East with low levels of rainfall, is predicted to experience rises in temperature (along with other negative effects of climate change) at a swifter rate than many other areas of the planet.[1]

Historic climate change
Main article: Climate of Cyprus

Due to location, Cyprus has always enjoyed an unusually high number of sunny days, with the sun shining for an annual average of 75% of daylight hours. [2]

The climate has changed significantly over the 20th century. Measurements taken in the capial city of Nicosia show an increase in average temperature from 18.9°C at the beginning of the 20th century, to 19.7°C at its end, an increase of 0.8°C. According to the Metereological Service, rainfall has also declined at a rate of 1mm per year over the 20th century. [3] Deep water temperatures have also increased by 0.12 °C (0.22 °F) between 1959 and 1989.[4]

Emissions

The average carbon emission per person in Cyprus for energy production in 2018 was 6.8 tonnes of CO2.[5]

Projected climate change

Water impact

Cyprus is situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, which Zacharis describes as "amongst the geographic areas that are most vulnerable to climate change."[6] Because of the short residence time of waters, the Mediterranean Sea is considered a hot-spot for climate change effects.[7] According to climate projections, the Mediterranean Sea could become warmer. The decrease in precipitation over the region could lead to more evaporation ultimately increasing the Mediterranean Sea salinity.[7][8] Because of the changes in temperature and salinity, the Mediterranean Sea may become more stratified by the end of the 21st century, with notable consequences on water circulation and biogeochemistry.

Land impact

Projected increases in temperature range between a minimum increase of 3.6°C and 5°C by the end of the century.[9] The number of very hot days on the island is projected to increase by more than two additional weeks per year, with the likely effect of creating an additional 9 days without rainfall per year.[10]

Notes
  1. "Climate Change and Impact". The Cyprus Institute. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  2. "The Climate of Cyprus". Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Department of Meteorology. Archived from the original on 2019-07-14. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  3. "Department of Meteorology - Climate of Cyprus". webcache.googleusercontent.com.
  4. Béthoux, J. P., Gentili, B., Raunet, J., and Tailliez, D. (1990). Warming trend in the western Mediterranean deep water. Nature, 347(6294) : 660–662.
  5. Ritchie, Hannah; Roser, Max. "Cyprus: CO2 Country Profile". World in Data. Retrieved 7 Jan 2021.
  6. Zachariadis, Theodoros (2012). "Climate Change in Cyprus: Impacts and Adaptation Policies" (PDF). Cyprus Economic Policy Review. Vol. 6, No. 1: 21–37.
  7. Giorgi, F. (2006). Climate change hot-spots. Geophysical Research Letters, 33(8) :L08707. 15
  8. Adloff, F., Somot, S., Sevault, F., Jordà, G., Aznar, R., Déqué, M., Herrmann, M., Marcos, M., Dubois, C., Padorno, E., Alvarez-Fanjul, E., and Gomis, D. (2015). Mediterranean Sea response to climate change in an ensemble of twenty first century scenarios. Climate Dynamics, 45(9–10) : 2775–2802
  9. Zacharides, Theodoros (2012). "Climate Change in Cyprus: Impacts and Adaptation Policies" (PDF). Cyprus Economic Policy Review. 6 (1): 35.
  10. Hadjinicolaou, Panos; Giannakopoulos, Christos; Zerefos, Christos; Lange, Manfred A.; Pashiardis, Stelios; Lelieveld, Jos (2011). "Mid-21st century climate and weather extremes in Cyprus as projected by six regional climate models". Regional Environmental Change. 11 (3): 441–457. doi:10.1007/s10113-010-0153-1. S2CID 153905787.
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