AMIPw

CCSM4a

CNRM

FGOALS

GISS

IPSL

MIROC

MPI

MRI

AMIPw

CCSM4a

CNRM

FGOALS

GISS

IPSL

MIROC

MPI

MRI

AMIPw

CCSM4a

CNRM

FGOALS

GISS

IPSL

MIROC

MPI

MRI

AMIPw

CCSM4a

CNRM

FGOALS

GISS

IPSL

MIROC

MPI

MRI

Soil

Readme

The climatic links to vegetation in the study area have focussed on exclusively on precipitation. Further inland and at higher elevations, temperature (e.g. minimum temperature and frost) start to play a more important role — however, temperatures (minimum, daily and seasonal fluctuations) should be muted.

Precipitation has been explored along two axes: total precipitation and seasonality of precipitation.

The definitions are broken up into three seasonality categories:

• Winter (W) rainfall, where 66% of the annual precipitation falls in the winter months,
• Year-round (YR) rainfall, where between 33% and 66% of precipitation falls in the winter months, and
• Summer (S) rainfall, where <33% of the annual rainfall falls in the winter months.

and five total annual precipitation categories:

• Desert (<100 mm),
• Ar: Arid (100-250 mm),
• L: Low (250-350 mm),
• M: Medium (350-650 mm), and
• H: High (>650 mm).

The total annual precipitation and seasonality are merged to form a climate zone descriptor, combining the total precipitation abbreviation (Ar,L,M, or H) with the seosonality precipitation (W, YR, or H). Examples include: * LW = low (100-250 mm) winter rainfall regime * HYR = high (>650 mm) year round rainfall regime.

See the next tab for a figure explaining the climate categories.

Figure

AMIPw

CCSM4a

CNRM

FGOALS

GISS

IPSL

MIROC

MPI

MRI