These five temperture variables are among several ecological settings variables that collectively characterize the biophysical setting of each 30 m cell at a given point in time (McGarigal et al 2017). The temperature regime strongly affects species composition, as well as rates of ecological processes such as nutrient cycling. We’ve chosen five variables to represent different aspects of temperature. All five variables have future versions that incorporate climate change via General Circulation Models (GCMs) (as described in the technical document on climate, McGarigal et al 2017).