image: Maps of the 1980-2008 linear trend in (a) temperature and (b) precipitation for the growing season of the predominant crop (among maize, wheat, rice, and soybean) in each 0.5 x 0.5 grid cell. Trends are expressed as the ratio of the total trend for the 29-year period (e.g. °C per 29 years) divided by the historical standard deviation for the 1960-2000 period. For clarity, only cells with at least 1% area covered by either maize, wheat, rice, or soybean are shown. Temperature trends exceed more than twice the historical standard deviation in many locations, whereas precipitation trends have been less dramatic. For more information, please see Figure 1 in the manuscript. This image relates to an article that appeared in the May 5, 2011, issue of Science Express, published by AAAS. The study, by David Lobell of Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., and colleagues, was titled, "Climate Trends and Global Crop Production Since 1980." view more
Credit: [Image courtesy of <i>Science</i>/AAAS]