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Vol.:(0123456789)Scientific Reports |        (2022) 12:17268  | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22228-7
www.nature.com/scientificreports/
is 16.9% in which the temperature would go up more than 3.0 °C, most located in the high latitude regions of 
Northern Hemisphere; the area is rarely in which the temperature would go up between 0 and 1.0 °C.
There are apparent trends of humidification in most regions under global warming by 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C; but 
the drought risk also should be taken seriously in the other regions. Under global warming by 1.5 °C the area is 
73.6% of the whole world in which the precipitation would increase, most located in the Northern Hemisphere; 
the area is 53.7% of the whole world in which the precipitation would increase by less than 50 mm; however, the 
area is 26.4% of whole world in which the rainfall would decrease, mainly located in the Southern Hemisphere 
and the middle regions of Northern Hemisphere. The distribution of precipitation under global warming by 
2.0 °C is similar with the situation under global warming by 1.5 °C. The drought-threatened area would increase 
by 28.5% under global warming by 2.0 °C, especially in the middle and low latitude of the Northern Hemisphere; 
the area would expand to 26%, in which the precipitation increases more than 50 mm. In other words, the 
extreme rainfall events (such as drought, rainstorm) under global warming by 2.0 °C would be more serious than 
those under global warming by 1.5 °C, which is what we should be pay more attention to.
Yield change of maize under global warming by 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C. Maize production is affected 
by climate change apparently. According to the simulation results of CERES-maize, the yield of maize would 
decrease in the worldwide relative to 1986–2005 under global warming by 2.0 °C; it would increase little under 
global warming by 1.5 °C. The distributions of maize yield loss under the two scenarios are similar to each other, 
mostly located in the middle and low latitude, which are the main regions for maize planting in the world. The 
loss risk of maize under global warming by 2.0 °C is much more serious than that under global warming of 
1.5 °C. However, there are increasing potentials of maize yield in many regions, nearly half of the whole maize 
planting area in the world, in which the climate situation would become more proper for maize under global 
Figure 2.  (continued)