In ecology, "Boreal" is usually applied to ecosystems localized to subarctic (Northern hemisphere) and subantarctic (Southern hemisphere) zones. A "boreal forest", also known as the taiga, is the set of forest ecosystems that can survive in northern, specifically subarctic, regions. The ecosystems that lie immediately to the south (in the Northen hemisphere) or to the north (in the Southern hemisphere) of boreal ones are often called hemiboreal.
The form of climate found in a region of boreal forests — specifically, the climates designated Dfc, Dwc and Dsc in the Köppen climate classification scheme.
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Over the past 30 years, global borealforests have experienced a significant amount of warming and drying which, if trends continue as predicted, are likely to induce feedbacks that may further influence global climate.
Increased temperatures in the boreal region release large quantities of carbon previously immobilized in the cold and frozen soils.
It is estimated that borealforests and woodlands cover approximately 14.5% of the earth's land surface, comprising an area of nearly 16 million square kilometers (5.7 million square miles) or about the size of the conterminous United States.
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