Conclusion
We established that most TMCFs sites that were evaluated face reductions
in low-clouds at rates that are higher than those in other tropical
regions. These reductions have a biogeographic component, suggesting
that regional rather than global drivers may play an essential role in
the decline of low-clouds. Our documented climatic trends beyond clouds
also revealed that TMCFs are shifting to warmer environments at higher
rates. Neotropical TMCFs are most likely to suffer the consequences of
this climatic shift because these sites present pronounced reductions in
low-clouds, precipitation, and VSWC, and significant increases in
temperature, dew point, pressure, and PET. Considering these
observations, the importance of regional and local drivers (e.g.,
deforestation, change of land use) associated with cloud regimes need
further investigation to examine the causes and consequences of the
observed trends. Many unknowns remain when predicting the effects of
current cloud declines in the TMCFs. However, as future projections
indicate increases in global warming (Diffenbaugh and Barnes, 2023),
these trends will likely continue threatening the life that remains on
them and the ecosystem services that they provide.