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
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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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Executive editor
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...
