POLS IR Seminars Series

Climate Change and International Security 
Andrea Gilli
(Senior Researcher NATO Defense College)

Geopolitics of Climate Change:The perspective of the US military on the Arctic
Agata Lavorio 
(PostDoc, Unimi)

23 April 2024, h.14.30
Room B - NASP Graduate School
Via Pace, 10 - Milan 

Abstract
Climate change will have significant effects on military power, capabilities, effectiveness, and employment. Yet, scholars have paid little attention to this topic. We address this gap by investigating the effects of changing ocean conditions on anti-submarine warfare. Anti-submarine warfare capabilities exploit various physical phenomena to detect enemy submarines, principally underwater sound propagation. Underwater sound propagation depends on factors influenced by climate change, such as water temperature and salinity. Through ocean-acoustic simulations, we estimate the effect of climate change on the detection range of enemy submarines in the North Atlantic and in the Western Pacific. Our results show that, in most areas, the range of detection through underwater acoustics is contracting due to climate change.

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This seminar is part of the POLS IR Seminar Series (Organizing Committee: Andrea Locatelli, Sara Berloto and Edoardo Landoni)

For an overview of the PhD Political Studies Seminar Series, click HERE