Exposure through time

A single future projection cannot distinguish whether Niche Boundary Exceedance spreads to additional cells or grows within cells already beyond the boundary. This example follows European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Mediterranean Sea at 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2090 under Bio-ORACLE SSP2-4.5.

At each projection, Niche Boundary Exceedance is a future state relative to the fixed empirical radial boundary. It is not a before-and-after difference or an observed date of boundary crossing.

Fit one climatic reference

The analysis uses the six Bio-ORACLE variables and the continuous anchovy SDM suitability layer prepared in the Mediterranean example. The current realised climatic niche is fitted once. Its centre, climatic weighting matrix and empirical radial boundary are then held fixed across all four projections.

projection_years <- c(2030, 2050, 2070, 2090)

future_series <- list(
  ssp245_2030 = climate_2030,
  ssp245_2050 = climate_2050,
  ssp245_2070 = climate_2070,
  ssp245_2090 = climate_2090
)

# Project each period into the same fitted climatic niche.
series <- fit_climniche_series(
  current = current_climate,
  future = future_series,
  time = projection_years,
  scenario = "SSP2-4.5",
  occupied = anchovy_suitability,
  occupied_threshold = sdm_threshold,
  domain = mediterranean_sea_mask,
  sensitivity = climatic_weights
)

The order of the future list must match time. Current and future rasters use the same variables, names, resolution and cell alignment.

Range-level exposure

The temporal summaries are derived from Niche Boundary Exceedance; they are not additional cell-level exposure quantities. Let \(E_{it}\) denote Niche Boundary Exceedance for cell \(i\) at time \(t\), \(B\) the fitted radial boundary distance and \(w_i\) the product of current SDM suitability and cell area. With boundary_exceedance_tolerance = 0,

\[ F_t = \frac{\sum_i w_i I(E_{it} > 0)} {\sum_i w_i} \]

is the Weighted Niche Boundary Exceedance Fraction,

\[ S_t = \frac{\sum_i w_i (E_{it}/B) I(E_{it} > 0)} {\sum_i w_i I(E_{it} > 0)} \]

is Conditional Relative Niche Boundary Exceedance, and

\[ M_t = \frac{\sum_i w_i (E_{it}/B) I(E_{it} > 0)} {\sum_i w_i} = F_t S_t \]

is Range Mean Relative Niche Boundary Exceedance. Here, \(I(\cdot)\) is the indicator function.

range_summary <- climniche_range_summary(
  series,
  scope = "current",
  area_weight = TRUE
)

subset(
  range_summary,
  select = c(
    time,
    exposed_fraction,
    conditional_relative_exceedance,
    range_wide_relative_exceedance
  )
)
Projection year Weighted boundary exceedance fraction Conditional relative Niche Boundary Exceedance Range mean relative Niche Boundary Exceedance
2030 7.7% 27.6% 2.1%
2050 9.3% 25.7% 2.4%
2070 28.4% 15.3% 4.3%
2090 78.9% 12.5% 9.9%
extent_plot <- plot_climniche_time(
  series,
  metric = "exposed_fraction",
  scope = "current",
  area_weight = TRUE,
  show_models = FALSE
)

conditional_plot <- plot_climniche_time(
  series,
  metric = "conditional_relative_exceedance",
  scope = "current",
  area_weight = TRUE,
  show_models = FALSE
)

range_plot <- plot_climniche_time(
  series,
  metric = "range_wide_relative_exceedance",
  scope = "current",
  area_weight = TRUE,
  show_models = FALSE
)

patchwork::wrap_plots(
  extent_plot,
  conditional_plot,
  range_plot,
  nrow = 1
)

The suitability- and area-weighted fraction beyond the boundary increases from 7.7% in 2030 to 78.9% in 2090. Conditional Relative Niche Boundary Exceedance falls from 27.6% to 12.5% over the same period. This combination is consistent with the addition of cells with relatively small exceedance. Range Mean Relative Niche Boundary Exceedance rises from 2.1% to 9.9%.

Timing within the current distribution

The first exceedance year identifies the first supplied projection in which a cell lies beyond the current niche boundary. The projection fraction records how many of the four supplied future periods exceed that boundary. Both summaries refer to the sampled projections and do not estimate an intervening crossing date.

departure <- climniche_departure(
  series,
  scope = "current"
)

rate <- climniche_change_rate(
  series,
  metric = "range_wide_relative_exceedance",
  scope = "current",
  area_weight = TRUE
)
Boundary exceedance fraction Median first exceedance Mean projection fraction
78.9% 2090 31.1%
onset_map <- plot_climniche_departure_map(
  series,
  metric = "first_boundary_exceedance",
  scope = "current",
  scenario = "SSP2-4.5",
  study_region = mediterranean_boundary,
  degree_labels = "hemisphere"
)

frequency_map <- plot_climniche_departure_map(
  series,
  metric = "boundary_exceedance_projection_fraction",
  scope = "current",
  scenario = "SSP2-4.5",
  study_region = mediterranean_boundary,
  degree_labels = "hemisphere"
)

patchwork::wrap_plots(onset_map, frequency_map, nrow = 1)

The map distinguishes early exceedance from cells whose future climate first appears beyond the boundary in 2090. The accompanying frequency map shows whether exceedance is confined to one projection or recurs across the series.

The largest increase in Range Mean Relative Niche Boundary Exceedance occurs between 2070 and 2090:

Interval start Interval end Increase in range mean relative exceedance
2070 2090 5.5 percentage points

Report

climniche_series_report() collects the fixed niche reference, projections, range summaries, temporal Niche Boundary Exceedance summaries and interval changes.

series_report <- climniche_series_report(
  series,
  species = "European anchovy",
  scope = "current",
  area_weight = TRUE
)

series_report
write_climniche_series_report(
  series_report,
  "anchovy-exposure-through-time.md"
)