Around the world, mountains are warming faster than surrounding lowlands, scientists warn.
Around the world, mountains are warming faster than surrounding lowlands, scientists warn. More intense heat is melting glaciers and diminishing snowfall, threatening a vital source of fresh water for more than a billion people, according to an exhaustive review of scientific research.
It is clear that warmer weather is altering mountain landscapes, said lead author Nick Pepin, of the University of Portsmouth. “What’s less well known is that as you go higher into the mountains, the rate of climate change can become even more intense.”
Pepin and his colleagues analyzed data on shifting temperature, rainfall, and snowfall across mountain ranges, from the Rockies to the Alps to the Himalayas, from 1980 to 2020. They found that, compared to lowlands, mountains are warming by another 0.21 degrees C per century. Data shows that as alpine areas heat up, snowfall is turning to rain, and rain is becoming more erratic. The research was published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
Read More: Yale Environment 360
Photo Credit: NickyPe via Pixabay
