Elevation-dependent warming(EDW),whereby warming rates are stratified by elevation,may increase the threat to the life-supporting solid water reservoir on the Tibetan Plateau.Previous studies have debated whether EDW ...Elevation-dependent warming(EDW),whereby warming rates are stratified by elevation,may increase the threat to the life-supporting solid water reservoir on the Tibetan Plateau.Previous studies have debated whether EDW exists and how it is driven.Using temperatures at 133 weather stations on the Tibetan Plateau during 17 different periods generated using a 30-year sliding window over 1973-2018,this study finds that the existence of EDW varies as the period moves forward,and critically it has become more severe over time.During the early part of the record with weaker regional warming,there were limited changes in snow depth and no EDW,but as time advances and regional warming intensifies,snow depth declines significantly at higher elevations,causing development of EDW.We conclude that enhanced regional warming has caused decreases in snow depth,largely controlling the pattern of EDW on the Tibetan Plateau.This may explain contrasting conclusions on EDW from previous studies which have used data for different periods,and our findings support enhanced EDW and more severe depletion of the Tibetan Plateau solid water reserves in a warmer future.展开更多
Elevation dependency amongst climate change signals has been found in major mountain ranges around the world,but the main factors causing this dependency have not been clarified.In this study,four different datasets o...Elevation dependency amongst climate change signals has been found in major mountain ranges around the world,but the main factors causing this dependency have not been clarified.In this study,four different datasets of observation and reanalysis for China were used to examine the elevation dependency of climate change.A lack of consistency was found in dependency between warming magnitude and elevation across the Tibetan Plateau and China.However,a dependency of climate change on water vapor was detected whereby the temperature trend initially increased at low specific humidity,and then decreased as specific humidity increased.At ground level the maximum trend in temperature appeared in the specific humidity range 2.0–3.0 g kg^（-1）.This suggests that water vapor is a mediator of climate change and may be responsible for elevation-dependent climate change.展开更多
基金supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(STEP)Program(2019QZKK0102)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41991281 and 41775076)Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences(2018103)。
文摘Elevation-dependent warming(EDW),whereby warming rates are stratified by elevation,may increase the threat to the life-supporting solid water reservoir on the Tibetan Plateau.Previous studies have debated whether EDW exists and how it is driven.Using temperatures at 133 weather stations on the Tibetan Plateau during 17 different periods generated using a 30-year sliding window over 1973-2018,this study finds that the existence of EDW varies as the period moves forward,and critically it has become more severe over time.During the early part of the record with weaker regional warming,there were limited changes in snow depth and no EDW,but as time advances and regional warming intensifies,snow depth declines significantly at higher elevations,causing development of EDW.We conclude that enhanced regional warming has caused decreases in snow depth,largely controlling the pattern of EDW on the Tibetan Plateau.This may explain contrasting conclusions on EDW from previous studies which have used data for different periods,and our findings support enhanced EDW and more severe depletion of the Tibetan Plateau solid water reserves in a warmer future.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(41571042,41271067)National Key Research and Development Program(2016YFC0502001)
文摘Elevation dependency amongst climate change signals has been found in major mountain ranges around the world,but the main factors causing this dependency have not been clarified.In this study,four different datasets of observation and reanalysis for China were used to examine the elevation dependency of climate change.A lack of consistency was found in dependency between warming magnitude and elevation across the Tibetan Plateau and China.However,a dependency of climate change on water vapor was detected whereby the temperature trend initially increased at low specific humidity,and then decreased as specific humidity increased.At ground level the maximum trend in temperature appeared in the specific humidity range 2.0–3.0 g kg^（-1）.This suggests that water vapor is a mediator of climate change and may be responsible for elevation-dependent climate change.
