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Regional air pollution brightening reverses the greenhouse gases induced warming‐elevation relationship
Author(s) -
Zeng Zhenzhong,
Chen Anping,
Ciais Philippe,
Li Yue,
Li Laurent Z. X.,
Vautard Robert,
Zhou Liming,
Yang Hui,
Huang Mengtian,
Piao Shilong
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl064410
Subject(s) - global warming , environmental science , elevation (ballistics) , climate change , greenhouse gas , glacier , climatology , altitude (triangle) , effects of global warming , greenhouse effect , atmospheric sciences , physical geography , geology , geography , oceanography , geometry , mathematics
Mountain waters, glaciers, hazards, and biodiversity are vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. Warming is projected to amplify over mountains by global climate models, yet meteorological records do not show a uniform acceleration of warming with elevation. Here we explore warming‐elevation relationships using records from 2660 meteorological stations and determine that the vertical gradient of warming rate varies with location. The warming is faster at higher altitudes in Asia and western North America, but the opposite is observed over Central Europe and eastern North America which have received more short‐wave radiation (brightening) associated with a decrease of aerosols and clouds since the 1980s. We found that altitudinal differences in air pollution (brightening), with observations showing more short‐wave radiation received at low altitudes than at mountains, modulate the warming‐elevation relationships. The advance in understanding of the drivers of regional climate change will contribute to the formulation of strategies for climate change mitigation at high elevations.