Figure 7.1. Characteristic Time and Space Scales Related to Ecosystems and Their Services

"Time scale is defined here as the time needed for at least half the process to be expressed. The characteristic spatial scale is the spatial area over which the process takes place.

(Note: For comparison, this table includes references to time and space scales cited in the Synthesis Report of the IPCC Third Assessment Report.)"

Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
 Synthesis Report (2005),
Chapter 7, p.89
(IPCC, Third Assessment Report; Condition and Trends Working Group, C4 Biodiversity, Fig 4.15, C4.4.2; Conceptual Framework, CF7 Analytical Approaches; Sub-Global Working Group Report, S7)

GreenFacts note: A GreenFacts digest of the IPCC Third Assessment Report on Climate Change is available