Fig 4. A century of climate change in South America according to five metrics. a) Long-term trend in temperature change, b) Long-term trend in precipitation change, c) Changes in probability of local extremes, d) Standardized local anomalies, e) Climate change velocity and f) Combination of the five metrics. Darker colours on the maps indicate greater climate change impacts.
Combining the five climate change metrics revealed the existence of spatially heterogeneous climate change patterns in Southern America. In regions such as central and northeast Brazil, as well as the Caribbean, species experienced a complex interplay of climate change dimensions over the past century. This analysis, which considers the cumulative influence of multiple climate change metrics, provides an integrated picture of multifaceted challenges posed by climate change, and underscores the need for targeted conservation efforts where several dimensions of climate change converge.