Does elevation dependent warming exist in high mountain Asia?

Abstract

A majority of studies suggest that elevation dependent warming (EDW) has been verified in mountainous areas. However, there is some controversy about the EDW of high mountain Asia (HMA). Based on the analysis of the data from 128 meteorological stations in the entire region for 1961–2017, we found that there was no EDW in HMA on the time scale of 1961–2017 and the spatial scale of the altitude of 3500–5000 m. The EDW in HMA is the most obvious during the period of 1998–2012. In general, after 1980, there was EDW in the altitude of 2500–5000 m. The Southeastern Tibetan Plateau always has EDW phenomenon for most of the time scales while other areas only have EDW at certain periods. Therefore, we consider that the rate of warming is higher only in specific mountain areas and time scales.

Keywords

• elevation dependent warming
• high mountain Asia
• Tibetan Plateau
• Tianshan mountains