FS 3.135: Recent advances in the Elevation-Dependent Climate Change in global mountains

Numerous studies have shown that climate change varies significantly with elevation, a phenomenon known as Elevation-Dependent Climate Change (EDCC). Research, originally focused on Elevation-Dependent Warming, has expanded beyond temperature variations leading to the broader concept of EDCC. Elevational stratification of trends in key climate variables (e.g. precipitation, wind, humidity, cloud) often results from complex mechanisms such as those controlling atmospheric stability and surface energy balance, orographic precipitation and intensification of the hydrological cycle. This session invites studies which use in-situ observations, remote sensing, and model simulations to examine elevational stratification of climate change and related phenomena (e.g., snow cover, wind patterns, hydrological cycles) in mountainous regions. Since EDCC has been investigated across different regions and assessed through various statistical methods, studies which compare different mountain regions of the world or examine results from the same region, but using different approaches, are particularly welcome. Comparisons between different datasets, showcasing their distinct advantages and limitations, can help understand the complex nature of EDCC. EDCC influences and is influenced by multiple climate variables ranging across the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere. Studies which attempt to understand such interactions are encouraged, as they drive key ecological transformations (e.g. upward migration of treelines/snowlines), which are reshaping mountain ecosystems. Particular focus on the underlying mechanisms which may be responsible for such changes is of great interest