New map shows regions most vulnerable to climate change effects

Ars Technica : To better anticipate the potential effects of climate change, researchers have created a map that indicates the environmental vulnerability of Earth’s various ecosystems. The map draws from 14 years of satellite measurements of plant ground cover and three climate variables: temperature, moisture, and cloud cover. The resulting vegetation sensitivity index reveals that the areas most at risk include “the Arctic tundra, parts of the boreal forest belt, the tropical rainforest, alpine regions worldwide, steppe and prairie regions of central Asia and North and South America, the Caatinga deciduous forest in eastern South America, and eastern areas of Australia.” Although those areas aren’t necessarily in any immediate danger, they are considered to have lower resilience to environmental perturbations. The researchers plan to fine-tune the map as more satellite data become available.