FAQ

The Atlas is an excellent starting point for local and regional authorities conducting a climate stress test. Furthermore, the Atlas is of relevance to, e.g., educational establishments, students, businesses, and residents. The Climate Impact Atlas is based on national data and can be used free of charge. With respect to climate effects, the Climate Impact Atlas is structured around five themes: flooding, waterlogging, drought, heat, and water quality. In addition to providing a first impression of how climate change may impact the Netherlands, now and in the future, the Atlas also comprises contextual maps, such as soil maps and maps providing a picture of potential adaptation opportunities.

The Viewer provides access to various maps that set out how climate change may impact your area, focusing on the themes of waterlogging, drought, heat, flooding, and water quality. The maps are subdivided into five categories: climate change, physical impacts, impacts, basic maps, and borders. Specific areas can be viewed by zooming in or by using the search function to search for a specific location.

The map layers are subdivided into five categories:

• Climate change: weather and climate events. These are general maps on climate change, compiled by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute KNMI. Examples include maps showing the number of tropical days and maps showing annual precipitation.
• Physical impacts: these maps contain information on how climate change may impact an area in terms of, e.g., its water system, geographical relief, and the soil. Examples include the maps on water depths during severe downpours, on the urban heat island effect, and on soil subsidence. These maps do not reflect any potential consequences for residents and the environment.
• Impacts: these maps show the risks and, in some cases, the opportunities entailed in physical consequences. These maps address the consequences of climate change for residents and the environment. Examples include the perceived temperatures heat map, the map on pole rot risks, and the map showing urban infiltration opportunities.
• Basic maps: these maps can be used to gain additional context, e.g., on the soil, on vegetation, and on neighbourhood typology.
• Borders: these maps show the borders of the territories governed by various local and regional authorities.

Would you like more information on a particular map? Then click on “More information” below the legend. For many maps, this will display the corresponding map narrative.

The map narratives provide an explanation to key maps. They explain what is shown on the maps and help you set to work with the information provided. In many cases, they also provide guidelines for potential solution strategies. Furthermore, the narratives set out how the maps have been developed. The map narratives are divided into six categories: Waterlogging, Heat, Drought, Flooding, Water Quality, and Basic Maps.

Would you like to download the GIS data? Click on the “Retrieve data” tab to retrieve the GIS files. Retrieval is free of charge, as the files involve open data, provided by Geopackage/Geotiff. If you are using data from the Climate Impact Atlas, you must credit its source: “Climate Impact Atlas, 2024”. As the data is covered by the Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0), acknowledgement is mandatory.

The Climate Impact Atlas uses open data. This means that government authorities and businesses are free to use the information for new purposes, such as stress tests. Are you using data from the Climate Impact Atlas? In that case, you must credit its source: “Climate Impact Atlas, 2024”. As the data is covered by the Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0), acknowledgement is mandatory.

The maps contained in the Atlas are intended to visualise the scope of climate effects and to garner attention to the issue of climate adaptation. As the maps are based on national data, they do not warrant decision-making at the local level. Consequently, the research institutes involved, and the Climate Adaptation Services foundation disclaim any responsibility for the consequences of any assumptions based on texts or maps contained in the Climate Impact Atlas.

The Climate Impact Atlas was developed in 2007, when several provinces and research institutes felt the need to provide low-threshold access to national climate information. Since 2012, the Atlas has been managed by the Climate Adaptation Services (CAS) foundation. With effect from 2020, CAS has been performing this task under the auspices of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Among other things, this means that CAS will regularly update, expand, and enhance the Climate Impact Atlas.

The map narratives have been compiled by the research institutes that have developed the maps, in collaboration with the CAS foundation.

Would you like to keep abreast of updates in the Climate Impact Atlas? Then subscribe to the news flash! The news flash (in Dutch) will be emailed in the event of major developments, such as new maps or map narratives.

The current climate is based on data covering the period 1980 to 2010. The Low and High scenarios are geared to the climate scenarios of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute KNMI. Some are still based on the scenarios developed in 2014, whilst others already reflect the climate scenarios compiled in 2023. In addition to climate change, some maps also reflect assumptions regarding other developments, such as socio-economic trends. Any such assumptions are stated with each map.

The Climate Impact Atlas features maps that provide information on the themes of drought, heat, waterlogging, flooding, and water quality. The maps in the Climate Impact Atlas provide a first impression of how climate change may impact an area. However, the information is not exhaustive. The maps are regularly updated and supplemented with new maps.

The maps in the Climate Impact Atlas have been developed on the basis of national models. The results provide a picture at the regional scale level; at the local level, the picture is usually approximate and indicative. At the national level, the maps reflect the best data publicly available. The data scale level differs from one map layer to the next. Maps featuring statistics, such as Number of tropical days or Precipitation shortage, reflect differences at the national level. Other maps, such as the Heat map – perceived temperature, are more detailed.