Climate Change Maps for the Atlas of Switzerland

Abstract

Climate change has global consequences, and Switzerland is no exception. The communication of climate change poses various challenges, and maps are often part of this process. This work presents three maps illustrating the impacts of climate change, developed for the Atlas of Switzerland (AoS), an interactive digital national atlas. The aim is to make climate change impacts understandable and visible. Three different indicators of climate change were visualized: the rise of the zero degree line, the evolution of glacial lakes, and changes in the flowering dates of plants. Various approaches were employed that leverage the strengths of the AoS, including temporal navigation, interactivity, 3D data visualizations, and map combinations. The feasibility of these visualizations are demonstrated through the presented maps and analysis of key considerations for their creation. We believe these map types should be included in national atlases and can contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 13: “Climate Action”. Further research is needed to assess the effectiveness and user understandability of the proposed maps.