Validation of species–climate impact models under climate change

Increasing concern over the implications of climate change for biodiversity has led to the use of species–climate envelope models to project species extinction risk under climate‐change scenarios. However, recent studies have demonstrated significant variability in model predictions and there remains a pressing need to validate models and to reduce uncertainties. Model validation is problematic as predictions are made for events that have not yet occurred. Resubstituition and data partitioning of present‐day data sets are, therefore, commonly used to test the predictive performance of models. However, these approaches suffer from the problems of spatial and temporal autocorrelation in the calibration and validation sets. Using observed distribution shifts among 116 British breeding‐bird species over the past ～20 years, we are able to provide a first independent validation of four envelope modelling techniques under climate change. Results showed good to fair predictive performance on independent validation, although rules used to assess model performance are difficult to interpret in a decision‐planning context. We also showed that measures of performance on nonindependent data provided optimistic estimates of models' predictive ability on independent data. Artificial neural networks and generalized additive models provided generally more accurate predictions of species range shifts than generalized linear models or classification tree analysis. Data for independent model validation and replication of this study are rare and we argue that perfect validation may not in fact be conceptually possible. We also note that usefulness of models is contingent on both the questions being asked and the techniques used. Implementations of species–climate envelope models for testing hypotheses and predicting future events may prove wrong, while being potentially useful if put into appropriate context.     

Using large-scale climate indices in climate change ecology studies

Recently, climate change research in ecology has embraced the use of large-scale climate indices in long-term, retrospective studies. In most instances, these indices are related to large-scale teleconnection and atmospheric patterns of which over a dozen have been identified. Although most of these relate to different geographical areas, many are related and interact. Consequently, even the simple task of selecting one to use in ecological research has become complicated, despite our ability to disentangle the results from analyses involving large-scale climate indices. Leaning upon recent reviews of the definition and functioning of large-scale climate indices, as well as reviews on the relationship between these and concomitant changes in ecological variables, we focus here on the usefulness of large-scale climate indices in different aspects of climate change ecology. By providing a general framework for using climate indices, we illustrate the potential advantages of their utility by integrating three case histories focusing on two groups of evolutionarily distinct organisms: birds and mammals.     

Influence of local climate and climate change on aeroterrestrial phototrophic biofilms

Aeroterrestrial phototrophic biofilms colonize natural and man-made surfaces and may damage the material they settle on. The occurrence of biofilms varies between regions with different climatic conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of meteorological factors on the growth of aeroterrestrial phototrophs. Phototrophic biomass was recorded on roof tiles at six sites within Germany five times over a period of five years and compared to climatic parameters from neighboring weather stations. All correlating meteorological factors influenced water availability on the surface of the roof tiles. The results indicate that the frequency of rainy days and not the mean precipitation per season is more important for biofilm proliferation. It is also inferred that the macroclimate is more important than the microclimate. In conclusion, changed (regional) climatic conditions may determine where in central Europe global change will promote or inhibit phototrophic growth in the future.     

The climate of Atndalen

The climate of Atndalen Valley is described by data collected by the standard network of stations currently run by the Norwegian Meteorological institute. It consists of one weather station (Sørneset) with full instrumental equipment, and three precipitation stations with a reduced set of equipment. At the latter stations, precipitation, snow depth, and snow cover are observed. Most of the stations, including the weather station, are situated in the central part of the watershed, near Atnsjøen. The climate of the Atndalen is of a continental type with precipitation minimum in late winter or spring and maximum during summer. The mean annual precipitation is about 500 mm near Atnsjøen (701 m a.s.l.) for the 30 year normal period 1961–1990. At the meteorological station Sørneset the warmest month is July, 11.2?°C, while the coldest month is January, ?9.9?°C, i.e. an annual amplitude of 21.1?°C. The mean cloud cover varies from 4.5 oktas in February to 5.4 oktas in July, September and October. The highest ratio of relative sunshine is about 50% in spring. The mean snow depth increases during winter and early spring and reaches its maximum of 68 cm in March. The snow cover disappears on 9 May ±12 days and establishes on 5 November ±18 days. Variations in precipitation (since 1904) and temperature (since 1864) were studied on a decadal time scale by Gaussian filtering technique, and the significance of trends on the 0.05 level were studied by the Mann–Kendall test. For the whole period no significant trend in annual precipitation was detected. The maximum value was located to the 1920s and the minimum value to the 1910s. Annual mean temperature has increased significantly since 1864, and the classical temperature optimum in the 1930s was surpassed in the 1990s. By adopting a sinus model including the first Fourier component, trends and variations in climatological periods as well as heat and frost sums were studied. The frost free period has since 1864 increased by 13 days within 100 years based on a linear trend line. Earlier passing dates in spring largely account for the increase. The length of the growth season also increased up to about 1950. The annual heat sum shows a linear increase of about 103 daydegrees per 100 years while the annual frost sum varies considerably from period to period and fitted badly with a linear model.     

Impacts of climate change on paddy rice yield in a temperate climate

The crop simulation model is a suitable tool for evaluating the potential impacts of climate change on crop production and on the environment. This study investigates the effects of climate change on paddy rice production in the temperate climate regions under the East Asian monsoon system using the CERES‐Rice 4.0 crop simulation model. This model was first calibrated and validated for crop production under elevated CO₂ and various temperature conditions. Data were obtained from experiments performed using a temperature gradient field chamber (TGFC) with a CO₂ enrichment system installed at Chonnam National University in Gwangju, Korea in 2009 and 2010. Based on the empirical calibration and validation, the model was applied to deliver a simulated forecast of paddy rice production for the region, as well as for the other Japonica rice growing regions in East Asia, projecting for years 2050 and 2100. In these climate change projection simulations in Gwangju, Korea, the yield increases (+12.6 and + 22.0%) due to CO₂ elevation were adjusted according to temperature increases showing variation dependent upon the cultivars, which resulted in significant yield decreases (?22.1% and ?35.0%). The projected yields were determined to increase as latitude increases due to reduced temperature effects, showing the highest increase for any of the study locations (+24%) in Harbin, China. It appears that the potential negative impact on crop production may be mediated by appropriate cultivar selection and cultivation changes such as alteration of the planting date. Results reported in this study using the CERES‐Rice 4.0 model demonstrate the promising potential for its further application in simulating the impacts of climate change on rice production from a local to a regional scale under the monsoon climate system.     

Choice of baseline climate data impacts projected species' responses to climate change

Climate data created from historic climate observations are integral to most assessments of potential climate change impacts, and frequently comprise the baseline period used to infer species‐climate relationships. They are often also central to downscaling coarse resolution climate simulations from General Circulation Models (GCMs) to project future climate scenarios at ecologically relevant spatial scales. Uncertainty in these baseline data can be large, particularly where weather observations are sparse and climate dynamics are complex (e.g. over mountainous or coastal regions). Yet, importantly, this uncertainty is almost universally overlooked when assessing potential responses of species to climate change. Here, we assessed the importance of historic baseline climate uncertainty for projections of species' responses to future climate change. We built species distribution models (SDMs) for 895 African bird species of conservation concern, using six different climate baselines. We projected these models to two future periods (2040–2069, 2070–2099), using downscaled climate projections, and calculated species turnover and changes in species‐specific climate suitability. We found that the choice of baseline climate data constituted an important source of uncertainty in projections of both species turnover and species‐specific climate suitability, often comparable with, or more important than, uncertainty arising from the choice of GCM. Importantly, the relative contribution of these factors to projection uncertainty varied spatially. Moreover, when projecting SDMs to sites of biodiversity importance (Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas), these uncertainties altered site‐level impacts, which could affect conservation prioritization. Our results highlight that projections of species' responses to climate change are sensitive to uncertainty in the baseline climatology. We recommend that this should be considered routinely in such analyses.     

Changes of China agricultural climate resources under the background of climate change: IX. Spatiotemporal change characteristics of China agricultural climate resources

Based on the 1961-2007 ground surface meteorological data from 558 meteorological stations in China, this paper analyzed the differences of agricultural climate resources in China different regions, and compared the change characteristics of the agricultural climate resources in 1961-1980 (period I) and 1981-2007 (period II), taking the year 1981 as the time node. As compared with period I, the mean annual temperature in China in period II increased by 0.6 degrees C, and the > or = 0 degrees C active accumulated temperature in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops and the > or = 10 degrees C active accumulated temperature in the growth periods of thermophilic crops increased averagely by 123.3 degrees C x d and 125.9 degrees C x d, respectively. In 1961-2007, the mean annual temperature increased most in Northeast China, and the > or = 10 degrees C active accumulated temperature in the growth periods of thermophilic crops increased most in South China. The whole year sunshine hours and the sunshine hours in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops and of thermophilic crops in period II decreased by 125.7 h, 32.2 h, and 53.6 h, respectively, compared with those in period I. In 1961-2007, the annual sunshine hours decreased most in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, while the sunshine hours in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops and of thermophilic crops decreased most in North China and South China, respectively. In the whole year and in the growth periods of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops, both the precipitation and the reference crop evapotranspiration in this country all showed a decreasing trend, with the largest decrement in the precipitation in the whole year and in the growth periods of chimonophilous and thermophilic crops in North China, the largest decrement in the reference crop evapotranspiration in the whole year and in the growth periods of thermophilic crops in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, and the largest decrement in the reference crop evapotranspiration in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops in Northwest China. In 1961-2007, the climate in China in the whole year and in the growth periods of thermophilic crops showed an overall tendency of warm and dry, and the climate in the growth periods of thermophilic crops became warm and dry in Southwest China, North China, and Northeast China, but warm and wet in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, Northwest China, and South China, whereas the climate in the growth periods of chimonophilous crops became warm and dry in North China, but became warm and wet in Northwest China.     

气候变化背景下中国农业气候资源变化V.宁夏农业气候资源变化特征

基于1961-2009年宁夏21个气象站点的气象资料,分析了宁夏各区农业气候资源的时空变化趋势.结果表明:研究期间,宁夏各地气温逐渐升高,呈北高南低的空间分布特征,年均气温的气候倾向率为0.4℃·(10 a)-1;大部分地区年降水量呈逐渐减少趋势,年降水量的气候倾向率为4.26 mm·(10 a)-1;无霜期和作物生长季天数随着气候变暖逐渐延长;≥10℃积温在3200℃·d以上的区域向南扩展,宁夏适宜种植中晚熟水稻的区域有所扩大;2001-2009年,宁夏大部分地区适宜种植冬小麦,全区各地几乎都适宜种植春小麦;宁夏南部山区各地7月平均气温≤20℃的区域面积逐渐缩小,适宜种植马铃薯的地域也随之缩小.     

Vertical gradient of climate change and climate tourism conditions in the Black Forest

Due to the public discussion about global and regional warming, the regional climate and the modified climate conditions are analyzed exemplarily for three different regions in the southern Black Forest (southwest Germany). The driving question behind the present study was how can tourism adapt to modified climate conditions and associated changes to the tourism potential in low mountain ranges. The tourism potential is predominately based on the attractiveness of natural resources being climate-sensitive. In this study, regional climate simulations (A1B) are analyzed by using the REMO model. To analyze the climatic tourism potential, the following thermal, physical and aesthetic parameters are considered for the time span 1961–2050: thermal comfort, heat and cold stress, sunshine, humid–warm conditions (sultriness), fog, precipitation, storm, and ski potential (snow cover). Frequency classes of these parameters expressed as a percentage are processed on a monthly scale. The results are presented in form of the Climate-Tourism-Information-Scheme (CTIS). Due to warmer temperatures, winters might shorten while summers might lengthen. The lowland might be more affected by heat and sultriness (e.g., Freiburg due to the effects of urban climate). To adapt to a changing climate and tourism, the awareness of both stakeholders and tourists as well as the adaptive capability are essential.     

The physiologic climate of Nigeria

This study describes the spatial and temporal variations in the physiologic climate of Nigeria for 1951–2009 in terms of effective temperature (ET), temperature-humidity index (THI), relative strain index (RSI) and perception of 3,600 sampled populations. The main hypotheses are that (i) the existing vegetation-based ecological region could adequately elucidate the physiologic climate of the country, and (ii) physiologic stress has significantly increased over the years (1951–2009). Trends and changes in the selected indices (ET, THI and RSI) were examined over two time slices: 1951–1980 and 1981–2009. The results show that (1) the montane region was the most comfortable physiologic climate in Nigeria, and the regions around the Rivers Niger and Benue troughs were the most uncomfortable in most parts of the year, (2) physiologic stress in most parts of Nigeria has significantly increased in 1981–2009 over 1951–1980 (p?≤?0.05), (3) coping strategies to the uncomfortably hot and cold climate in Nigeria are limited to dressing mode, clothing materials and use of air conditioners or fan, (4) ET, THI and RSI results could be similar, and complementary; but each is with its strengths and weaknesses for annual or seasonal representations, which the others complemented for the interpretation of the physiologic climate of Nigeria. The study concluded that the relationship between the ecological classification of Nigeria and physiologic climate is rather complex, and the former could not elucidate the latter. The study cited inadequate meteorological data, especially on wind chill, and health records as limiting factors of studies on the Nigerian physiologic climates and the effect of extreme thermal conditions on the people.     

Trophic amplification of climate warming

Ecosystems can alternate suddenly between contrasting persistent states due to internal processes or external drivers. It is important to understand the mechanisms by which these shifts occur, especially in exploited ecosystems. There have been several abrupt marine ecosystem shifts attributed either to fishing, recent climate change or a combination of these two drivers. We show that temperature has been an important driver of the trophodynamics of the North Sea, a heavily fished marine ecosystem, for nearly 50 years and that a recent pronounced change in temperature established a new ecosystem dynamic regime through a series of internal mechanisms. Using an end-to-end ecosystem approach that included primary producers, primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, and detritivores, we found that temperature modified the relationships among species through nonlinearities in the ecosystem involving ecological thresholds and trophic amplifications. Trophic amplification provides an alternative mechanism to positive feedback to drive an ecosystem towards a new dynamic regime, which in this case favours jellyfish in the plankton and decapods and detritivores in the benthos. Although overfishing is often held responsible for marine ecosystem degeneration, temperature can clearly bring about similar effects. Our results are relevant to ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), seen as the way forward to manage exploited marine ecosystems.     

全球气候变化背景下华北平原气候资源变化趋势

在全球气候变化的大背景下,过去几十年,华北平原气候资源也发生了相应的变化,这一变化对该区域的粮食生产将产生深刻的影响。利用华北平原1961-2007年逐日气候资料,探讨了不同年代际间该区域气候资源的空间分布特征。研究结果表明:气候变暖使华北平原热量资源更加丰富,全区≥0℃和≥10℃积温呈整体增加趋势,空间分布呈北移东扩的变化特征;且气候带移动特征明显,向北移动了3个纬度,约300多km。过去47a,华北区域年降水量呈下降趋势,平均下降速率为18mm/10a。夏、秋两季降水量呈减少趋势,速率在25-40mm/10a之间;春、冬两季降水量呈微弱增加趋势,但增加幅度小于夏、秋两季的减少幅度。年平均参考作物蒸散量呈整体下降趋势,减幅小于降水量的变化趋势。全区日照时数显著减少,纬向分布特征明显,以大中城市附近减少最为突出。