FAQ

The atlas contains a viewer with maps. It also contains map explanations. They explain the maps in the viewer and help you to use them. In addition, there are climate scenarios in the atlas that show, for various themes, the range within which climate change is likely to develop. For Bonaire, there is also a tool that provides a nature-inclusive view of the island.

The viewer provides access to various maps to show how climate change may impact your area, focussing on flooding and heat. The basic maps give information on topics such as soil, vegetation, geology, mangrove and riverbeds.  Specific areas can be viewed by zooming in or by using the search function to search for a specific location.

Did you select one or more map layers in the left-hand box? Then click on “View map layers” in the upper right-hand corner. A box will pop up enabling you to select a climate scenario. You can compare the current climate with four scenarios: the “Low” scenario, featuring a limited change in climate, and the “High” scenario, in which the climate changes significantly for 2050 and for 2100. The grey fields underneath each map layer indicate the scenarios available for that specific map. Do you not see a map while you have clicked on it? It is likely that the map is not available for the scenario you have selected. Try selecting the current climate or another scenario.

The map explanations provide background information for the maps that are shown in the map viewer. They tell you what you see on the maps and help you to get to work with the information. The atlas comprises different map explanations, such as “Land surface temperature”, “Coral reef health” and “Future coastlines”. To access the map explanations, click on the tab in the menu bar. Also, you can click on the “more information” button beneath the legend on the right side of the screen to go the map explanations. 

To download a map image in PDF format, click on the printer icon in the map viewer. To retrieve GIS files, please use the form under the “Download Data” tab.

Yes, data from the Climate Impact Atlas BES be used for other purposes. As the Climate Impact Atlas BES features open data, government bodies and private parties may use the information in external applications, such as risk dialogues. Are you using data from the Climate Impact Atlas BES? This data is covered by the Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0). This means that its source must be credited by quoting “Climate Impact Atlas BES, 2024”. In addition, we suggest referring to the underlying data source. To find out which organisation has developed the map, see the source beneath the legend.

The maps in the atlas are intended to get some perception of the scope of climate effects, and to place the issue of climate adaptation on the political agenda. As the maps provide a first impression, they do not warrant local decision-making. Consequently, the research institutes and CAS decline any responsibility for the consequences of assumptions based on texts or maps from the Climate Impact Atlas BES.

The maps in the Climate Impact Atlas BES have been developed by several research institutes. To find out which party has developed the map, click on the “More information” button in each map layer. You will find this button on the right-hand side, in the “View map layers” box under the legend. In addition, you can read more about us.

We aim to update the Climate Impact Atlas BES with new, additional maps whenever an opportunity arrives, and new data is available.

For the climate scenarios on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, we used the KNMI'23 climate scenarios. The scenarios represent the range within which climate change is likely to develop.