Land Use Primer:
How does climate impact land cover?
The effect of climate’s impact on land cover refers in this primer to the direct and indirect influence that climate has on the vegetation, or other features that cover the land (Ecosystems). Climate change produces alterations in water, energy and carbon fluxes. It also could also produce environmental disturbances that directly or indirectly affect land cover. For example, species respond to disturbances produced by climate change through migration, extinction or adaptation to new disturbances. Dale (1997). Some plant and animal species can adjust to higher temperatures by shifting toward the poles or higher elevations. However, opportunities for plant migration are limited in habitats that have been broken down in smaller patches by human activities (fragmentation).
Humans can also respond to climate change through migration. If warmer places are considered amenities to humans, population density can increase in areas with higher temperatures. The new population settlements indirectly affect land cover as more development and land fragmentation occurs.
Other potential impacts of climate change on land cover include: Natural fire frequency, intensity and duration and potential rise of sea level and floods, especially in coastal areas. A detailed discussion on the potential impacts of climate change on land cover can be found at http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg2/196.htm 