For the current publication, the researchers compared around 200 international studies and analysed data from different regions of the world. On average, the air temperature at high altitudes rose by 0.02 degrees per year between 1980 and 2020, while precipitation fell by one millimetre overall and snowfall by almost three millimetres per year. The Rocky Mountains and the Asian high mountains are most affected by the change. As the temperature changes, so does the humidity, and the shrinking snow cover reduces the albedo effect - the reflection of solar radiation back into the atmosphere. This in turn leads to further warming of the Earth's surface.
Devastating consequences
The global effects of altitude-dependent climate change are serious: more than a billion people are dependent on water supplies from the Himalayas. Now that the ice there is rapidly disappearing, there is a threat of flooding on the one hand and drought on the other if there is no rainfall. More precise forecasts to better mitigate possible consequences are currently difficult: "We need more measurements above 2500 metres above sea level and smaller-scale models to better understand the changes in mountain regions. In any case, we all need to do more to combat global warming," summarises the researcher.