Recent warming amplification over high elevation regions across the globe

Despite numerous studies in recent decades, our understanding of whether warming amplification is prevalent in high-elevation regions remains uncertain. In this work, on the basis of annual mean temperature series (1961-2010) of 2,367 stations around the globe, we examine both altitudinal amplification and regional amplification in the high elevation regions across the globe using new methodology. We develop the function equations of warming components of altitude, latitude and longitude and station warming rates for individual stations within a high-elevation region based on basic mathematic and physical principles, and find a significant altitudinal amplification trend for the Tibetan Plateau, Loess Plateau, Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Alps, United States Rockies, Appalachian Mountains, South American Andes and Mongolian Plateau. At the same time, we detect a greater warming for four high-elevation regions than their low elevation counterparts for the paired regions available. These suggest that warming amplification in high-elevation regions is an intrinsic feature of recent global warming.