An Assessment of Changes in Bioclimatic Types in Sichuan Province, 1961-2010

Assessing the impact of climate change is important for ecosystem conservation and plant recovery, especially in climate sensitive regions. Various studies suggested that the KSppen classification is an effective method to depict climate change. However, these studies were restricted to large scales or of limited accuracy due to uncertainties in climate model projections. In addition, the impact of elevation on the shift of climate zones, as compared with other factors, is less emphasized. To address these issues we compiled the KSppen Climate Classification （period 1961-2olo） for the study area, Sichuan Province, China. The spatial resolution was selected as x km x x km. Sichuan Province may be characterized by 3 main climate classes and 1o subtypes. The east-west gradient of the climatic regimes in Siehuan is represented by the main climate classes, warm temperate climates （C）, snow climates （D） and polar climates （E）, at which the most abundant class is C. The most abundant subtype is snow climate with dry winter and cool summer （Dwe）. Shifts in K/Sppen climate classes reflect the observed trend of increasing temperature. Finally, the elevation showed an obvious impact on the distribution and the change of climate classes in Siehuan Province. The shift of areas covered by KSppen climate classes increases with elevation.