ClimLimits: a global database of multivariate realized climate limits for animal species

Abstract

Introduction and AimAssessing the realized climate limits for a species based on the climate conditions (i.e., different aspects of temperature and precipitation) a species has experienced over its range enables us to determine the climatic boundaries of its existence, and thus its potential exposure to novel climate conditions in the future. We combine species range maps from IUCN and BirdLife International with global climate data from the ERA5 reanalysis and five Earth System Models (ESMs) to produce ClimLimits: a database of multivariate realized species climate limits based on historical temperature and precipitation for terrestrial and freshwater animal species worldwide. Main variables includedFor a total of 54,255 species (24,731 terrestrial, 18,182 freshwater, and 11,342 terrestrial-freshwater species), we estimated 44 species climate limits, which delineate the most extreme climate conditions experienced by a species over its entire range over the last 80 years (1940-2020). The database accounts for three aspects of species climate limits: a) maximum and minimum values of temperature and precipitation experienced over the historical reference period, b) maximum annual variability in temperature and precipitation, and c) maximum frequency, intensity, duration and severity of extreme events (heatwaves, cold-spells, and droughts). Climate data is sourced from the ERA5 reanalysis and from five different Earth System Models (ESMs), producing 6 different subsets of the ClimLimits database. Time coverageSpecies climate limits are estimated based on historical climate records from 1941-2014 (5 ESMs) and 1940-2020 (ERA5). Temperature-based limits are inferred at a daily scale, while precipitation-based limits are inferred at a monthly and yearly scale. Spatial coverageGlobal, over 24km x 24km grid-cells. TaxaTerrestrial and freshwater taxa, including amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles, freshwater fish, and freshwater invertebrates, with shapefiles from IUCN and BirdLife International. Data is produced at the species level. ApplicationsClimLimits provides ready-to-use standardized realized climate limits for individual species across multiple aspects of climate, facilitating global-scale assessments of macroecological patterns and climate exposure risk for species.