While elevation-dependent warming (EDW) has become a widely studied phenomenon referring to the systematic variation of warming rates with elevation (Pepin et al., 2015), recent research has highlighted the need to move beyond temperature alone toward the broader concept of elevation-dependent climate change (EDCC, Pepin at al., 2022, 2025). EDCC encompasses the diverse responses of multiple climate variables to climate change along elevational gradients, reflecting the complex interactions between atmospheric processes, surface conditions, and topography in mountain regions.

In addition to elevation-dependent temperature trends, EDCC includes changes in precipitation and climatic extremes, along with in the variables useful to disentangle the driving mechanisms of the observed change, such as in snow cover, cloudiness, radiation balance. These changes have profound implications for mountain hydrology, cryosphere dynamics, ecosystems, and downstream water resources, particularly in regions that depend strongly on meltwater and orographic precipitation.

This talk provides an overview of the state-of-the-art understanding of EDW and EDCC, drawing on observational evidence, reanalysis products, and climate model simulations (e.g. Palazzi et al., 2019 ; Ferguglia et al., 2024). Particular attention is given to major mountain systems, including the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, and Rocky Mountains, where elevation-dependent signals have been documented but also show regional variability.

The presentation further discusses the physical mechanisms proposed to explain elevation-dependent climate responses, as identified in the literature, including changes in snow–albedo feedbacks, cloud–radiation interactions, water vapor and lapse-rate effects, and land–atmosphere coupling. Emphasis is placed on how the relative importance of these mechanisms varies across regions and seasons, contributing to the uneven distribution of climate change impacts with elevation.

Overall, the talk highlights EDCC as a framework for understanding how climate change manifests in mountain environments, stressing the need for integrated observational strategies and high-resolution modeling approaches to better assess future risks and inform mitigation and adaptation in high-elevation regions.

References:

- Ferguglia, O., Palazzi, E. & Arnone, E. Elevation dependent change in ERA5 precipitation and its extremes. Clim Dyn 62, 8137–8153 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-024-07328-6

- Palazzi, E., Mortarini, L., Terzago, S. et al. Elevation-dependent warming in global climate model simulations at high spatial resolution. Clim Dyn 52, 2685–2702 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-018-4287-z

- Pepin, N; Bradley, RS; Diaz, HF; Baraer, M; Caceres, EB; Forsythe,; Fowler, H; Greenwood, G; Hashmi, MZ; Liu, XD; Miller, JR; Ning, L; Ohmura, A; Palazzi, E; Rangwala, I; Schoner, W; Severskiy, I; Shahgedanova, M; Wang, MB; Williamson, SN; Yang, DQ: “Elevation-dependent warming in mountain regions of the world”, Nature Climate Change, Volume 5, Issue 5, Pages 424-430, ISSN: 1758-678X, 2015

- Pepin, N. C., et al. (2022). Climate changes and their elevational patterns in the mountains of the world. Reviews of Geophysics, 60, e2020RG000730. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020RG000730

- Pepin, N., Apple, M., Knowles, J. et al. Elevation-dependent climate change in mountain environments. Nat Rev Earth Environ 6, 772–788 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00740-4