Realized velocities in the geographic distribution of vegetation at high elevation in five North American mountain ranges.

ΔT is the observed temperature change, and realized velocity is the observed change in elevation of vegetation cover per decade. The temperature-elevation regression trend is the rate of change in temperature per meter of elevation. Climate velocity is the velocity necessary for vegetation to keep pace with ΔT given the temperature-elevation regression trend. The right column is the latitude-equivalent velocity assuming 120.9 km · °C-1 at sea level.