Climate change is not only increasing the global average temperature, but also altering the patterns of precipitation and seasons across the Earth. These changes will have profound impacts on the ecosystems and biodiversity that depend on the local climate conditions.
A new study that predicts the future of our planet until 2100 shows that many regions will experience such drastic changes in their climate that they will enter a new climate zone, different from what they have been for over a century. The study used the Köppen-Geiger map, a widely used system that divides the world into five climate zones based on temperature, precipitation and season.
The study found that depending on the climate models used, 38 to 50 percent of the land surface will shift to a new climate zone by the end of the century. The latest generation of climate models, which are more sensitive to greenhouse gas emissions, projected a higher percentage of change. The study also identified some hotspots of change, such as Central America, East Africa and Southeast Asia.
The study warns that these changes will pose major challenges for conservation and adaptation efforts, as many species and ecosystems will face unprecedented climatic conditions. The study also calls for more research on the impacts of climate change on precipitation and seasonality, which are more difficult to simulate than temperature.
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