Climate Change: How Fast Is the Earth Shifting?

By Michael D. Lemonick

A new study co-authored by Climate Central scientist Philip Duffy calculates the velocity of climate change in kilometers per year—the rate at which ecosystems will have to migrate to keep up with changing temperatures. Mixed terrain that includes peaks and valleys has the slowest velocity—a fact that could help conservation biologists plan the most cost-effective habitat- and species-preservation strategies.

Read the story Climate Change: How Fast Is the Earth Shifting? on Time.com. Also, read the paper, The Velocity of Climate Change by Scott R. Loarie, Philip Duffy, Healy Hamilton, Gregory P. Asner, Christopher B. Field & David D. Ackerly, published in Nature on December 24th, 2009.