Elevation Regulates the Response of Climate Heterogeneity to Climate Change

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 51; no. 12
• Main Authors: Guan, Yanlong, Liu, Junguo, Cui, Wenhui, Chen, Deliang, Zhang, Jiankai, Lu, Hongwei, Maeda, Eduardo Eiji, Zeng, Zhenzhong, Beck, Hylke E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 28-06-2024; Wiley
• Subjects: Anthropogenic climate changes; Anthropogenic factors; Climate change; Climate Research; Climatic classifications; Elevation; Geiger counters; Global climate; Heterogeneity; Klimatforskning; Stability
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1029/2024GL109483

Climate change represents a profound threat to the diversity and stability of global climate zones. However, the complex interplay between climate change and elevation in shaping climate heterogeneity is not yet fully understood. Here, we combine Shannon's diversity index (SHDI) with the Köppen‐Geiger climate classification to explore the altitudinal distributions of global climate heterogeneity; and their responses to climate change. The study reveals a distinctive pattern: SHDI, a proxy for climate heterogeneity tends to slow down or decline at lower elevations with increasing temperatures, while at higher elevations, it continues to rise due to continuing cold conditions. Examination of climate simulations, both with and without anthropogenic forcing, confirms that observed changes in climate heterogeneity are primarily attributable to anthropogenic climate change within these high‐elevation regions. This study underscores the importance of high‐elevation regions as not only custodians of diverse climate types but also potential refuges for species fleeing warmer climates.
Plain Language Summary
Climate change is threatening the diversity and stability of global climate patterns. But we're still not completely sure how climate change interacts with elevation to affect climate heterogeneity. In this study, we looked at how climate heterogeneity changes with altitude and responds to climate change. We found that as temperatures rise, the climate diversity tends to decrease at lower elevations, but it increases at higher elevations. We used climate simulations to show that these changes can be attributed to anthropogenic climate change. This study shows that high‐elevation regions are important because they can sustain diverse climates and are likely to be a safe haven for plants and animals when climate diversity continues to decline at lower elevations.
Key Points
We employed a high‐resolution climate data set to analyze changes in global climate heterogeneity
With increasing temperatures, global climate heterogeneity amplifies at higher elevations, while diminishing at lower altitudes
Anthropogenic climate change primarily drives alterations in climate heterogeneity at higher elevations