Amplification of Elevation-Dependent Temperature Variability Since the Last Glacial Maximum

The mechanisms of recent Elevation-Dependent Warming (EDW) remain debated because nearly all data sources are limited to past decades and subject to anthropogenic effects. Here, we study how temperature changed along the elevation gradient since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and aim to shed lights on the mechanisms of EDW and implications for the future climate change in alpine regions. We present a unique network of 192 quantitative terrestrial temperature records along elevation gradient up to ~5000 m to study the Elevation-Dependent Temperature Amplification (EDTA) since LGM. EDTA is exemplified by stronger variability at high-elevation sites during climate transitions of millennial- to centennial-scales. The spatiotemporal patterns of EDTA indicate that the surface albedo, caused by changes in glacier and vegetation coverage, played the most important role, which resulted in steeper lapse rate during LGM and flatter in Mid-Holocene. This suggests that alpine regions experienced much colder environments in glacial and much warmer in interglacial periods. This also implies that the mountain regions would warm much faster in the context of current global change. The study emphasizes the need to reassess and reevaluate alpine climate change mechanisms, and to reconsider the mitigation and adaptation implementation strategies under the future global warming scenarios.