Articles | Volume 5, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-763-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-763-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
22 May 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 22 May 2024
| 22 May 2024
Elevation-dependent warming: observations, models, and energetic mechanisms
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
William R. Boos
Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
Shineng Hu
Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Cited
19 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Atmospheric stability sets maximum moist heat and convection in the midlatitudes F. Li & T. Tamarin-Brodsky
- A Dry and Warm Future Projected by Regional Climate Models in the Subtropical Andes Mountains, Southwestern South America G. Marianetti et al.
- Spatiotemporal variability of surface-based temperature inversions in high-latitude northcentral Yukon valleys utilizing a dense network of elevation transects N. Noad & P. Bonnaventure
- Surface temperature variability in a tropical Andean summit: influence of ENSO, elevation, and slope direction M. Rivera Reyes et al.
- Identifying time patterns of highland and lowland air temperature trends in Italy and the UK across monthly and annual scales C. Liyew et al.
- Western disturbances and climate variability: a review of recent developments K. Hunt et al.
- Mountain ponds under pressure: ecology and management in times of global change L. Fehlinger et al.
- Cross-Examination of Reanalysis Datasets on Elevation-Dependent Climate Change in the Third Pole Region A. Rameshan et al.
- Near-term climate extremes in Iran based on compound hazards analysis N. Asadi-RahimBeygi et al.
- Ensemble machine learning for digital mapping of soil pH and electrical conductivity in the Andean agroecosystem of Peru C. Carbajal-Llosa et al.
- Investigating the influence of changing ice surfaces on gravity wave formation impacting glacier boundary layer flow with large-eddy simulations B. Goger et al.
- High-resolution mountain topography can inform global snow vulnerability estimates A. Marshall et al.
- Atmospheric Freezing Level Height Changes L. Ning et al.
- Shifting water and energy controls on hydrological processes under climate change in the topographically complex Min–Tuo River Basin, southwest China M. Chen et al.
- Pre-industrial Common Era temperature fluctuations in South China inferred based upon bacterial tetraether lipids from Lake Poyang R. Miao et al.
- Recent Advances in the Observation and Modeling of Aerosol-Cloud Interactions, Cloud Feedbacks, and Earth’s Energy Imbalance: A Review T. Michibata et al.
- Hydrological response to the summer 2024 high-elevation heatwave in Central-Western Argentina J. Rivera et al.
- Elevation-dependent warming in Switzerland: Observed signals and dataset limitations S. Scherrer et al.
- Pleistocene terrestrial warming trend in East Asia linked to Antarctic ice sheets growth H. Wang et al.
19 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Atmospheric stability sets maximum moist heat and convection in the midlatitudes F. Li & T. Tamarin-Brodsky
- A Dry and Warm Future Projected by Regional Climate Models in the Subtropical Andes Mountains, Southwestern South America G. Marianetti et al.
- Spatiotemporal variability of surface-based temperature inversions in high-latitude northcentral Yukon valleys utilizing a dense network of elevation transects N. Noad & P. Bonnaventure
- Surface temperature variability in a tropical Andean summit: influence of ENSO, elevation, and slope direction M. Rivera Reyes et al.
- Identifying time patterns of highland and lowland air temperature trends in Italy and the UK across monthly and annual scales C. Liyew et al.
- Western disturbances and climate variability: a review of recent developments K. Hunt et al.
- Mountain ponds under pressure: ecology and management in times of global change L. Fehlinger et al.
- Cross-Examination of Reanalysis Datasets on Elevation-Dependent Climate Change in the Third Pole Region A. Rameshan et al.
- Near-term climate extremes in Iran based on compound hazards analysis N. Asadi-RahimBeygi et al.
- Ensemble machine learning for digital mapping of soil pH and electrical conductivity in the Andean agroecosystem of Peru C. Carbajal-Llosa et al.
- Investigating the influence of changing ice surfaces on gravity wave formation impacting glacier boundary layer flow with large-eddy simulations B. Goger et al.
- High-resolution mountain topography can inform global snow vulnerability estimates A. Marshall et al.
- Atmospheric Freezing Level Height Changes L. Ning et al.
- Shifting water and energy controls on hydrological processes under climate change in the topographically complex Min–Tuo River Basin, southwest China M. Chen et al.
- Pre-industrial Common Era temperature fluctuations in South China inferred based upon bacterial tetraether lipids from Lake Poyang R. Miao et al.
- Recent Advances in the Observation and Modeling of Aerosol-Cloud Interactions, Cloud Feedbacks, and Earth’s Energy Imbalance: A Review T. Michibata et al.
- Hydrological response to the summer 2024 high-elevation heatwave in Central-Western Argentina J. Rivera et al.
- Elevation-dependent warming in Switzerland: Observed signals and dataset limitations S. Scherrer et al.
- Pleistocene terrestrial warming trend in East Asia linked to Antarctic ice sheets growth H. Wang et al.
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 30 Apr 2026
Editorial statement
Observations and climate models consistently indicate that, during the past decades in the tropics and subtropics, land surfaces at higher altitudes have been warming faster than lower-elevated ones, a phenomenon denoted as elevation-dependent warming (EDW). In this study, Byrne and co-authors quantify the magnitude of this effect, attribute it to greenhouse gas forcing, and provide a very thorough and comprehensive analysis of the underlying mechanisms. They identify Planck and surface albedo feedback as well as atmospheric energy transport as most important drivers of EDW, while water vapor and cloud feedback oppose EDW. In this way, the authors substantially improve our understanding of a fundamental aspect of current climate warming.
Observations and climate models consistently indicate that, during the past decades in the...
Short summary
In this study we investigate why climate change is amplified in mountain regions, a phenomenon known as elevation-dependent warming (EDW). We examine EDW using observations and models and assess the roles of radiative forcing vs. internal variability in driving the historical signal. Using a forcing–feedback framework we also quantify for the first time the processes driving EDW on large scales. Our results have important implications for understanding future climate change in mountain regions.
In this study we investigate why climate change is amplified in mountain regions, a phenomenon...
