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Elevation Dependent Warming in the Eastern Siberian ArcticThere is evidence for elevation-dependent warming (EDW) in many mountainous regions, including the Alps, Rockies, and Tibetan Plateau, all of which are in mid-latitudes. Most studies finding evidence of EDW indicate that both recent decadal and future projected warming rates are greater at higher elevations. In this study, we examine the roles of Arctic amplification and elevation on future warming rates in winter and summer in eastern Siberia (50-70°N; 80-180°E). This region includes four major river basins that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the Yenisei, Lena, Indigirka, and Kolyma) and intersects with mountain ranges in northern Mongolia and eastern Siberia. We analyse projected 21st century temperature projections using a six-member ensemble of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) with a radiative forcing of 8.5 W m-2. Projected warming rates in winter for the 21st century are dominated by Arctic amplification, which leads to significantly larger warming rates at higher latitudes, with latitudinal gradients of about 0.16°C per degree latitude. In summer, the latitudinal gradient is near zero (0.02°C per degree of latitude). Within specific latitude bands, we also find EDW. However, unlike most mid-latitude locations where warming rates are greater at higher elevations, we find that future warming rates are smaller at higher elevations for this high-latitude region, particularly during winter, with statistically significant rates varying between -0.70 and -2.46 °C/km for different 5° latitude bands. The decrease in warming rates with elevation in winter at the highest latitudes is primarily attributed to strong inversions and changes in the lapse rate as free-air temperatures warm at slower rates than surface temperatures. In summer, the elevation dependence is much weaker than in winter but still statistically significant and negative in all but the most northern latitude band with values ranging between -0.10 and -0.56 °C/km.
Document ID
20210000514
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
James R Miller
(Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States)
John E Fuller
(Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States)
Michael J Puma
(Columbia University New York, New York, United States)
Joseph M Finnegan
(Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States)
Date Acquired
January 15, 2021
Publication Date
February 10, 2021
Publication Information
Publication: Environmental Research Letters
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Volume: 16
Issue: 2
Issue Publication Date: February 10, 2021
e-ISSN: 1748-9326
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: 80NSSC17M0057
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Technical Review
External Peer Committee
Keywords
elevation-dependent warming (EDW)
mountainous regions
Arctic amplification and elevation
eastern Siberia
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