Patterns of Elevation Dependent Climate Change in mountains

Mountains cover about 25% of Earth’s surface, providing vital resources such as water for both high-elevation ecosystems and billions of people. Multiple drivers of global change impact mountain ecosystems and those downstream. Understanding patterns of past/future temperature and precipitation changes within mountain regions, especially comparative studies across contrasting mountain regions, remains key to help address impacts of climatic change. Nearly all mountain regions are warming, some areas faster than nearby lowlands (elevation-dependent warming). There is a transition from snowfall to rainfall in many locations. There is a reduction in orographic enhancement of rainfall/snowfall evident in many datasets, but there remain large uncertainties in the measurement of mountain precipitation. This session invites studies (in situ observations, remote sensing, model simulations) of patterns of warming and precipitation changes, and other related variables (e.g. snow cover, wind), in mountain regions to help consolidate our knowledge on elevation dependent climate change.