The Future Changes of Winter Coldness and its Impacts on Minimum Temperature Index of the Coldest Month(MTCI) in the Republic of Korea (ROK)Using the SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5 Scenarios.

The purpose of this study is to examine the change of coldness and its impact on vegetation in ROK using two extreme future climate scenarios(SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5). The results showed that winter coldness has diminished with rapid warming and the winter season would be much warmer in the SSP5-8.5 scenarios. With the rise of MTCI due to less frigid winters Abies Nephrolepis, an evergreen needle-leaved tree type would be disappeared in SSP5-8.5 one. For the diversity of an ecosystem, strong mitigation and adaptation strategies might be needed.