Climate Sensitivity of Global Terrestrial Net Primary Production (NPP) Calculated Using the Reduced Form Model NNN

: In order to assess the potential impact of climate change on terrestrial equilibrium net primary production (NPP), information about the sensitivity of terrestrial NPP to climate change is needed. In this paper, a novel approach to the definition of climate sensitivity is introduced, which does not depend on specific (and uncertain) scenarios, but rather describes the worst-case climate sensitivity of NPP, as measured by the magnitude of the gradient of NPP, as a function of the climate variables. The metric in climate change necessary for the determination of the gradient is calculated on the foundation of the existing spatial variation of the climate variables as a measure for the potential to climate change, taking into account the unchanging determinants of latitude and altitude of the climate. The current correlations between the climate variables are preserved using principal component analysis. The resulting map of global NPP sensitivity shows especially high sens..