Experiencing Climate Change Research Articles

Microbial Communities of Peaty Permafrost Tundra Soils along the Gradient of Environmental Conditions and Anthropogenic Disturbance in Pechora River Delta in the Eastern European Arctic

Microbial communities play crucial roles in the global carbon cycle, particularly in peatland and tundra ecosystems experiencing climate change. The latest IPCC assessments highlight the anthropogenic changes in the Arctic peatlands and their consequences due to global climate change. These disturbances could trigger permafrost degradation and intensification of the biogeochemical processes resulting in greenhouse gas formation. In this study, we describe the variation in diversity and composition of soil microbial communities from shallow peat tundra sites with different anthropogenic loads and applied restoration interventions in the landscape of remnant fragments of terraces in the Pechora River delta, the Russian Arctic, Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The molecular approaches, including quantitative real-time PCR and high-throughput Illumina sequencing of 16S RNA and ITS, were applied to examine the bacterial and fungal communities in the soil samples. Anthropogenic disturbance leads to a significant decrease in the representation of Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia, while the proportion and diversity of Proteobacteria increase. Fungal communities in undisturbed sites may be characterized as monodominant, and anthropogenic impact increases the fungal diversity. Only the verrucomicrobial methanotrophs Methyloacifiphilaceae were found in the undisturbed sites, but proteobacterial methanotrophs Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum, as well as different methylotrophs affiliated with Methylophilaceae, and Beijerinckiaceae (Methylorosula), were detected in disturbed sites.

The Relationship between the Built Environment and Climate Change: The Case of Turkish Provinces

The relationship between the built environment and climate change has been discussed from many perspectives. This study examines the effect of the built environment on climate change indicators in Turkish provinces over the last 18 years, contributing to the literature on built environment analyses regarding both urban and rural areas, unlike other studies that have focused mostly on urban areas. The study discusses the changes in climate indicators using maps and analyzes the effects of the built environment on climate change using linear regression. The results indicate that provinces in Türkiye have experienced climate change effects such as increased annual mean temperature, maximum temperature, maximum precipitation, extreme weather events, and drought. These effects differed both in terms of geography and the subperiods over the examined period. The results also demonstrate the increase in the built environment to have a positive correlation with the increases in annual maximum temperature and the annual number of extreme weather events. The built environment in Türkiye increased 63% between 1990 and 2018, and the average number of extreme weather events per province increased from 0.3 to 8 over this same period. At the same time, the average annual mean temperature increased from 12.9 to 15.1 °C, the average maximum temperature went up from 24.6 to 25.8 °C, the average annual maximum precipitation increased from 125.6 to 157.7 mm, and the average number of dry months per year increased from 3.4 to 3.8.

Matching beef cattle breeds to the environment for desired outcomes in a changing climate: A systematic review

Cattle graze approximately 30% of global land, making their interactions with Earth's social and ecological systems of critical importance. Cattle have experienced a long process of evolution and domestication. Certain breeds are more adapted to specific environments, differentially affecting those breeds' impact on the environment, their interaction with ecosystems experiencing climate change impacts, and their capacity to provide goods and landscape management services. Emerging evidence suggests that, compared to more artificially selected conventional breeds, some less specialized, or ‘heritage’ beef cattle breeds exhibit unique foraging behaviors that could support desired outcomes such as biodiversity or climate change adaptation. We provide a novel, systematic characterization of breed-based behavioral differences to assist researchers and beef producers in selecting breed-based management strategies for achieving adaptation goals. We conducted a systematic search of studies that compared beef cattle breeds for behavioral trends, and found 54 studies conducted between 1966 and present day, located in 9 of the 14 major terrestrial world biomes, with 60 beef or dual-purpose breeds represented. We created a typology of the studies with respect to decade, continent, breed provenance (Continental, Criollo, Hybrid, B. indicus, Mediterranean, Sanga, British Isles), breed selection intensity (heritage, conventional, hybrid), biome, study intent, and whether breeds met desired outcomes described by the study authors. Most studies (69%) were conducted in arid rangeland settings in developed nations where researchers sought to minimize the environmental impacts of beef production. In comparisons of grazing behavior of heritage versus conventional types (n = 25 studies), and hybrid versus conventional types (n = 18 studies), heritage and hybrid displayed more adapted traits (e.g., better grazing distribution) in 88% and 78% of the studies, respectively. No differences were found in grazing behaviors among most studies wherein heritage breeds were compared to other heritage breeds or conventional with conventional (n = 6 and 15 studies, respectively). In the subset of studies coded with the intent of “foraging behavior,” heritage types traveled faster across a range of pasture sizes, suggesting a lighter environmental footprint and adaptive capacity to heat impacts. Overall, our review suggests that locally derived breeds display grazing behaviors that demonstrate adaptation to their respective native environments and may help producers meet production goals in similar environments. We conclude that breeds with more natural selection tend to exhibit less rigid grazing behaviors, which is a necessary coping strategy in variable climates and locales with heterogeneous forage availability, both of which are increasingly common scenarios caused by climate change.

Climate Variability Effects On Rising Dengue Incidence In Jakarta Province

The incidence of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) in Jakarta fluctuates throughout the year. During 2017-2020, the municipality of West Jakarta was the second-highest contributor to the incidence of DHF in DKI Jakarta Province, namely 5,301 cases. Subsequently, Kalideres district has the highest incidence of DHF in the West Jakarta municipality area. Currently, globally, the world is experiencing climate change. The transmission of dengue fever is highly dependent on climatic factors. This study aimed to analyze the impact of climate change on rising dengue fever incidence in Jakarta, especially in the Kalideres District, in 2019-2020. The study design was cross-sectional. The variables analyzed were climate change, assessed from weather climate, rainfall, wind speed, and air humidity obtained through recording data from the Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency website. Data on the incidence of DHF used daily DHF case report data obtained from the Kalideres District Health Center. Data analysis used simple linear regression analysis. Based on the bivariate analysis obtained, rainfall (p-value = 0.031; r = 0.211) and air humidity (p-value = 0.001; r = 0.413) were associated with the incidence of DHF. The regression coefficient value indicates that the direction of the relationship between rainfall and humidity is appropriate and in the same direction as the incidence of DHF. Meanwhile, air temperature and wind speed were not related to the incidence of dengue fever (p-value> 0.05). Early detection through dengue surveillance and mosquito vector control during high rainfall is highly recommended.

Climate awareness, anxiety, and actions among youth: a qualitative study in a middle-income country.

The impact of climate change on mental health is well established, but few studies have examined the perspectives of young people, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this qualitative study, we explored how Brazilian children and adolescents experience climate change. This approach can help inform environmental education, communication, and self-care strategies for this age group. We conducted focus groups with 50 children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years in three locations in Brazil. We analyzed the data using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework. We identified three profiles of involvement with climate change: unaware, disengaged, and engaged. Profiles were largely related to different socioeconomic contexts. We analyzed each profile across the dimensions of space, time, emotions, and actions. Adults were portrayed by participants as stubborn deniers, as neutral influences, or as role models of knowledge and engagement. Due to their age and developmental level, young children had distinctive perceptions of climate change. Spatial and temporal perceptions of climate change are a key element for experiencing and engaging with environmental concerns and vary according to the child's age and socioeconomic differences. Effective communication requires narratives that reach different ages toward generating climate action at individual and collective levels. Replication of these findings in other LMICs is warranted.

The Difference in Perceptions of ESG Activities: Focusing on the Individual Characteristics and the Company Size

This study examined the impact of differences in perception of ESG activities on individual characteristics and enterprise size. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn, companies must come up with measures to cope with sustainability and coexist with each other. In particular, companies are participating in creating a healthy society by directly experiencing climate change and recognizing the seriousness of the situation. In the past, ESG has focused only on financial value, so it has now become a representative concept of non-financial value, and companies are solving these solutions through ESG management. The main purpose of this paper is to see how ESG activities change depending on gender, age, length of service, and size of the company. Also, the study emphasizes the need for ESG activities and provides practical implications through empirical analysis.

Understanding farmers’ perception of climate change and adaptation practices in the marshlands of South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

Understanding farmers’ perceptions about climate change and adaptation strategies can help support their efforts and develop interventions more suited to the local context. This is particularly important for farmers who exploit fragile ecosystems such as marshlands.Using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews conducted with smallholder farmers in the marshlands of Kabare, this study compares the perception of men and women relating to climate change and uses the chi-square test and logistic regression to examine gendered differences in response to climate change and the determinants of farmers’ choice of sustainable practices. Meteorological data trends for three decades were also compared.Results showed that both men (77 %) and women (73 %) experienced climate change and this was illustrated by changes in temperature and rainfall patterns. Farmers’ climate change perceptions are consistent with the local historical climate data showing a slightly increasing trend of temperature and a decrease in rainfall for the last decade, particularly between 2013 and 2019. Although significant differences were observed between gender and sources of climate information (p < 0.05), 50 % of women farmers favored indigenous knowledge of climate, while 61 % of men farmers stated that experience exchange among fellow farmers helped to read and predict climate trends. The common impacts reported by farmers included the proliferation of pests (90 %), a decrease in soil fertility (75 %), and floods, resulting in crop failure. Farmers used various adaptation strategies in response to the perceived impacts. However, the choice of sustainable practices such as crop diversification, drainage, growing low-maintenance crops, and use of mulch and manure were associated with farmers ‘experience, exchanging information among fellow farmers, livestock ownership, and the perception of climatic threats to crops. The information provided in this paper is valuable for the farmers' resilience-building program.

Why just experience the future when you can change it: Virtual reality can increase pro-environmental food choices through self-efficacy.

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) has the potential to play an important role in increasing environmental literacy by providing individuals the opportunity to experience plausible scenarios of climate change directly. However, there is currently little evidence for the role of IVR, and for specific design features, in increasing environmental self-efficacy. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of an IVR intervention on pro-environmental intentions, knowledge, and transfer. A total of 90 middle school students were randomly assigned to two IVR intervention conditions: (a) Awareness, in which students experience the impact of their current food choices on future environmental change; (b) Awareness + Efficacy, in which students had the opportunity to change their food choices and experience the positive impact of this on future environmental change. Both interventions resulted in significant increases in intentions, knowledge, and transfer. However, the Awareness + Efficacy condition resulted in further significant increases in intentions and transfer than the awareness condition. Finally, mediation analysis showed that the effect of the Awareness + Efficacy condition on intentions and transfer was fully mediated by self-efficacy. These results suggest that allowing students not just to experience climate change but also to see the positive impact of changed personal choices can maximize the effectiveness of IVR on intentions and transfer.

Supplemental Material for Why just experience the future when you can change it: Virtual reality can increase pro-environmental food choices through self-efficacy.

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) has the potential to play an important role in increasing environmental literacy by providing individuals the opportunity to experience plausible scenarios of climate change directly. However, there is currently little evidence for the role of IVR, and for specific design features, in increasing environmental self-efficacy. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of an IVR intervention on pro-environmental intentions, knowledge, and transfer. A total of 90 middle school students were randomly assigned to two IVR intervention conditions: (a) Awareness, in which students experience the impact of their current food choices on future environmental change; (b) Awareness + Efficacy, in which students had the opportunity to change their food choices and experience the positive impact of this on future environmental change. Both interventions resulted in significant increases in intentions, knowledge, and transfer. However, the Awareness + Efficacy condition resulted in further significant increases in intentions and transfer than the awareness condition. Finally, mediation analysis showed that the effect of the Awareness + Efficacy condition on intentions and transfer was fully mediated by self-efficacy. These results suggest that allowing students not just to experience climate change but also to see the positive impact of changed personal choices can maximize the effectiveness of IVR on intentions and transfer.

Human and Physical Dilemmas in Small-Scale Irrigation Development: Evidence from Climate-Sensitive Northern Ghana

Irrigation is widely accepted as an effective adaptive management strategy for small-scale farmers of traditional rain-fed crops in areas experiencing climate change. These changes include timing of onset of the rainy season and the amount and intensity of rainfall—both issues of concern to rural farmers in northern Ghana. Despite obvious benefits, it is not apparent if farmers in this area perceive irrigation as a viable or attainable option to deal with potential food insecurity related to climate change. In this article, we examine three main issues: (1) dry spells during the early parts of the farming season, (2) impacts of these dry spells on farming systems, and (3) farmer adaptation through different agricultural water management practices. A geographic information system and remote sensing analysis using Landsat 8 and field Global Positioning System data supports findings from seventy-two in-depth interviews with smallholder farmers. Results from this integrated assessment reveal sociocultural and physical barriers to manual irrigation, including labor needs, water source proximity, and size of operational land holding. Increasing climate variability in this region will necessitate adaptation by local farmers; however, we argue that irrigation projects should not be initiated without detailed understanding of local sociocultural contexts. Effectively moving water from source to crop will require integrative knowledge of local hydrogeology and sociocultural norms.

Hunter-gatherers' coping strategies on climate change and prospect in Iramba and Mbulu Districts, Tanzania

Abstract. Shadrack S, Mwalilino JK. 2022. Hunter-gatherers' coping strategies on climate change and prospect in Iramba and Mbulu Districts, Tanzania. Intl J Trop Drylands 6: 77-89. The study intended to establish community perceptions of climate change, assess the extent of food availability and stability, and identify Hadzabe's food insecurity coping strategies toward climate change. The study was arranged in five villages in Iramba and Mbulu Districts, Tanzania: Yaedachini, Mongo wa Mono, Kipamba, Munguli, and Domanga. Furthermore, to collect data, the cross-sectional technique was used. Next, purposive and simple random sampling was used to obtain 100 respondents. Next, data were analyzed using computer programs and content analysis methods. Finally, descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were computed. This study revealed that people had experienced climate change that led to chronic food insecurity. However, the Hadzabe have developed different coping strategies to mitigate this situation. The most used coping strategies included: relying on food from the government and NGOs, migrating to the area with food, borrowing food and selling labor, eating foods that have not been used before, and engaging in petty business. In Hadzabe, the dependence on wild food and lack of food storage facilities and habits were identified as the main contributing factors to food insecurity. The study concluded that there is a need to improve the coping capacity of the Hadzabe to strengthen their coping strategies and to recognize the importance of forest resources in supporting the Hadzabes' livelihoods to improve food availability and stability. This study recommended long-term development measures such as training on crops, animal husbandry, and modern beekeeping.

Climate Change: Preliminary analysis and prediction using global temperature data.

Little has to be said when the global populus is experiencing climate change firsthand. But relations have to be established between organic data and the visible change if we must understand it better. Except for strengthening the arguments in favor of working against climate change, it also ensures we use the right tools to do so. Using the UN's Global Temperature change data. Which we first clean and restructure it to our ease. The aim is to understand in depth, the patterns and relationships in temperature rise over time. Next logical thing to do is co-relate it with rising CO-2 emissions, loss of forest cover, Air Quality index as factors. Linear and Polynomial Regression is used to train our data and get temperature rise predictions till 2059. The forecast is executed utilising 2 and 5 degree polynomial regression.

Climate change communication beyond the digital divide: Exploring cartography’s role and privilege in climate action

Despite widespread acceptance amongst researchers, climate change and responses to it remain a socially and politically debated topic. Within cartography and cognate disciplines, this has often been construed as an issue of communication: maps are tools for communication and better maps will lead to greater understanding of and responses to climate change. While existing research has shown some support for the efficacy of such approaches, this article calls into question the underlying assumptions of access and equity that pervade such communicative approaches to mapmaking and data visualization. Two new case studies from the authors’ research group highlight the importance of greater consideration of equity and access for climate change communication cartography (CCCC): first, an experiment on the use of storytelling and narrative in maps of climate impacts and, second, an augmented reality tool that presented users with storm surge information for their region. These two cases lead us to an interrogation of the assumptions that undergird claims for the rhetorical power of using cartographic stories and augmented reality. It is, we argue, somewhat of a luxury to experience climate change through stories, not lived experiences or through augmented reality, as opposed to forced displacement. We conclude by reinterrogating the map communication model in light of understandings of maps as constantly made and remade by both map author and map user. By calling into question the ontogenetic security of maps, CCCC can better understand both the impacts and equities of its maps.

Assessment of Farmers Perception about Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Strategies Use for Tomato Production in The Gambia

Tomato production in The Gambia is ranked second after onion in terms of production acreage among vegetables. Tomatoes are major sources of lycopene, a dietary carotenoid found in high concentration in processed tomato products. The crop is high in vitamin AB and C and also contain good amount of potassium, iron and phosphorus. Fresh tomatoes and canned types such as concentrates puree and paste are increasingly in demand in West Africa where they form an essential part of the diet. The study investigated farmer’s perception about climate change impact and adaptation strategies use for tomato production in the Gambia through survey. The survey was conducted in the West Coast Region originally known as Western Division situated in the west near the capital. Random sampling was used for the selection of farmers for the individual survey and focus group discussions. The findings concluded that significant number of the tomato growers are aware and also strongly believed that climate change is existing. Constant increase in temperature and decrease in rainfall, an unpredictable rainfall pattern and prolonged drought among others served as evidences. Large number of respondents said to have experienced climate change effects for more than five years while minority indicated about 5-10years of experienced. Most of the tomato growers said they became to know about climate change through personal experience. Climate change causes severe dropping of flowers by rain and wind and rotting of tomato fruits as well as pest attack at the reproductive stage. For the case of adaptation strategies, great numbers of the farmers are using synthetic pesticide to control insect pests e.g., red spider mites, planting of trees (wind breakers) to reduce heavy wind speed and application of large quantity of fertilizers to improve the soil fertility.

Evidence of climate-driven selection on tree traits and trait plasticity across the climatic range of a riparian foundation species.

Selection on quantitative traits by heterogeneous climatic conditions can lead to substantial trait variation across a species range. In the context of rapidly changing environments, however, it is equally important to understand selection on trait plasticity. To evaluate the role of selection in driving divergences in traits and their associated plasticities within a widespread species, we compared molecular and quantitative trait variation in Populus fremontii (Fremont cottonwood), a foundation riparian distributed throughout Arizona. Using SNP data and genotypes from 16 populations reciprocally planted in three common gardens, we first performed QST -FST analyses to detect selection on traits and trait plasticity. We then explored the environmental drivers of selection using trait-climate and plasticity-climate regressions. Three major findings emerged: (1) There was significant genetic variation in traits expressed in each of the common gardens and in the phenotypic plasticity of traits across gardens, both of which were heritable. (2) Based on QST -FST comparisons, there was evidence of selection in all traits measured; however, this result varied from no effect in one garden to highly significant in another, indicating that detection of past selection is environmentally dependent. We also found strong evidence of divergent selection on plasticity across environments for two traits. (3) Traits and/or their plasticity were often correlated with population source climate (R2 up to .77 and .66, respectively). These results suggest that steep climate gradients across the Southwest have played a major role in shaping the evolution of divergent phenotypic responses in populations and genotypes now experiencing climate change.

Urban nullius? Urban Indigenous People and Climate Change

Climate change is impacting cities and urban regions in significant ways, and people living within them must work out how to live with and adapt to the changes they bring. Indigenous peoples are increasingly moving to and living in cities, yet how they experience climate change within them is not understood. While literature explores Indigenous experiences of climate change and how Indigenous knowledge is being used to combat it, this work is geographically located in rural and remote Indigenous territories—not cities. This paper presents the results of a review that sought to find out why this is the case. Our aim was to identify scholarship that discussed how Indigenous people are affected by climate change in cities. To do so, we undertake a narrative literature review, which analyses content to distil key concepts in the literature, which are then presented in the paper to form a narrative. We find a significant gap in the literature addressing Indigenous experiences and voices concerning climate change in cities. We argue that this is due to the ongoing legacy of settler colonization, which has erased Indigenous peoples from urban territories to the extent that even when they are visible, urban Indigenous people are characterized as inauthentic and vulnerable. We call for action to overturn this insidious form of urban nullius to reclaim and assert Indigenous voices on and about climate change and policy in cities.

The role of local narratives in emerging climate governance

Local climate narratives are influential, shaping climate responses at all scales. They can be unpredictable, however, reflecting local histories, power dynamics, needs, and priorities as much as expert knowledge of climate disruption and possible responses. As new modes of climate governance emerge in response to increasing climate impacts and risks, local climate narratives influence understandings of climate change and what should be done about it, as well as the prospects for implementing fair, effective climate responses. In this study, we examine the case of Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA, an early adopter of climate policies that faces deep inequity and worsening climate impacts. Using historical research, interviews, and policy document analysis, we (a) identify two long-term historic environmental narratives—one dominant narrative focused on economic growth and the other on environmental justice—that shape the local climate debate; (b) create a typology of contemporary climate narratives about emissions, sea level rise, climate gentrification, and resilience; and (c) analyze historic and contemporary narratives’ prevalence in emergent local climate policies. While most people in Miami agree that climate change is an immediate problem, various groups talk about and experience climate change very differently. These climate narratives are divided along the geographical and social lines of segregation, leading to conflicting understandings of climate risk and action stemming from socioeconomic and environmental inequities. Histories of growth and the environmental injustices that accompany it have strongly shaped contemporary climate narratives, at times contradicting scientific understandings of climate change and, until recently, leading to climate policies that prioritize economic growth. Community organizations have drawn on histories of environmental injustice to demand greater attention to equity in narratives informing climate discussions, such as debates about climate gentrification, but we find that policy documents still cite equity-related topics and narratives much less frequently. Paying attention to these histories offers an important and often neglected basis for understanding local climate debates, the potential for climate governance to either compound or alleviate existing inequities, and new directions for more equitable climate communication and policy.

Climate change in Bangladesh: meeting the mental health needs in times of crisis

Access to quality and affordable mental health care is not always available to disaster-prone countries experiencing climate change, which may result in psychological trauma. Although environmental support has been provided, the consequences of disasters have not been addressed within the mental health realm. Inadequate knowledge and practice about crisis responses for mental health was addressed in Bangladesh with the influx of Rohingya people escaping persecution. To provide mental health support, Crisis Preparedness for Mental Health (CPM-MH) was developed and implemented addressing the psychological consequences of traumatic events. CP M-MH has its foundation in post-trauma stabilization through establishment of psychological equilibrium providing proactive rather than reactive methods linked to positive mental health outcomes. With adoption of CPM-MH in Bangladesh addressing mental health needs after traumatic events, mental health damage experienced by manmade and natural disasters may be considered the best strategy to build coping skills and resiliency for further traumatic event.

Global variation in diversification rate and species richness are unlinked in plants

Species richness varies immensely around the world. Variation in the rate of diversification (speciation minus extinction) is often hypothesized to explain this pattern, while alternative explanations invoke time or ecological carrying capacities as drivers. Focusing on seed plants, the world's most important engineers of terrestrial ecosystems, we investigated the role of diversification rate as a link between the environment and global species richness patterns. Applying structural equation modeling to a comprehensive distribution dataset and phylogenetic tree covering all circa 332,000 seed plant species and 99.9% of the world's terrestrial surface (excluding Antarctica), we test five broad hypotheses postulating that diversification serves as a mechanistic link between species richness and climate, climatic stability, seasonality, environmental heterogeneity, or the distribution of biomes. Our results show that the global patterns of species richness and diversification rate are entirely independent. Diversification rates were not highest in warm and wet climates, running counter to the Metabolic Theory of Ecology, one of the dominant explanations for global gradients in species richness. Instead, diversification rates were highest in edaphically diverse, dry areas that have experienced climate change during the Neogene. Meanwhile, we confirmed climate and environmental heterogeneity as the main drivers of species richness, but these effects did not involve diversification rates as a mechanistic link, calling for alternative explanations. We conclude that high species richness is likely driven by the antiquity of wet tropical areas (supporting the "tropical conservatism hypothesis") or the high ecological carrying capacity of warm, wet, and/or environmentally heterogeneous environments.

Deciphering the black spruce response to climate variation across eastern Canada using a meta-analysis approach

Boreal forests are experiencing climate change more rapidly than other biomes, which is likely to impact their future management. Understanding how tree growth responds to regional and seasonal variation in climate is essential to anticipate future management of boreal forests. We compiled and summarized black spruce climate-growth relationships from 11 dendroclimatology studies in boreal forests of Northeastern North America. Using a statistical synthesis of 113 sites and 2,995 black spruce trees, latitudinal trends were found to affect the growth response to monthly climate variables. Below 50°N, a high portion of sites showed a negative growth response to summer temperatures, whereas these were positive between 50°N and 54°N. Growth response to previous summer precipitation was consistently positive across latitudinal range. This shift from negative to positive growth response to summer temperatures observed between 50 and 51°N was confirmed through meta-analysis and was found to be associated with a mean annual temperature of ∼ 0 °C. This threshold is likely representative of the limit at which black spruce growth shifts from being moisture- to temperature-limited. By directly relating growth-climate relationships to mean annual temperature and precipitation at a given site, our meta-analysis allows readers to easily grasp the current growth response of black spruce to climate variation. Combined with climate projections, our results may also be used to facilitate the estimation of black spruce growth trends through time, and thus inform the implementation of adaptative silvicultural measures.