Himalayan Heights Heating Faster Than the World: Study

• Warming in mountains, including the Himalayas, is rising 50% faster than the global average since 1950.
• Study notes accelerated snow loss, drying trends, and rapid ecological shifts at higher elevations.
• Aerosols from lowland regions like India and China worsening melt in mountain snow and ice.
• Over a billion people dependent on mountain-fed water systems face heightened climate risks.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 25th Nov: Warming at high elevations in mountains, including the Himalayas, could be nearly 50 per cent faster than the global average since 1950, a new international study has found, warning of grave implications for more than a billion people dependent on these regions for water.

Published in Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, the study analysed global datasets and case studies to understand ‘elevation-dependent climate change’ — a phenomenon in which environmental shifts accelerate at higher altitudes. The research was led by the University of Portsmouth, with contributions from scientists in India’s Uttaranchal University and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

According to the findings, mountains worldwide experienced enhanced warming of 0.21°C per century between 1980 and 2020, along with increased drying of 11.5 mm per century and snow loss of 25.6 mm per century. These shifts are driven by factors such as surface albedo, specific humidity, and aerosol levels.

“Mountains share many characteristics with Arctic regions and are experiencing similarly rapid changes,” said lead researcher Nick Pepin from the University of Portsmouth’s Institute of the Earth and Environment. The rapid loss of snow and ice, he added, has triggered profound ecological shifts. “As you go higher into the mountains, the rate of climate change can become even more intense.”

Pepin noted that sensitivity to warming varies across mountain ranges. Intermediate elevations — where snowlines are receding — are showing the fastest changes. Aerosols from lowland regions, including India and China, are also accelerating snow and ice melt as they deposit onto high-altitude surfaces.

The team examined trends in mountain systems like the Alps, Tibetan Plateau and High-Mountain Asia. Their assessment shows a clear gap between mountain and lowland temperature and precipitation trends.

Most climate models predict continued warming of about 0.13°C per century across mountain regions through the 21st century, though precipitation changes remain uncertain.

The implications are critical for countries such as India and China, which rely heavily on Himalayan snow and glacial melt for freshwater supply. “The Himalayan ice is decreasing more rapidly than we thought,” Pepin said. “When snowfall transitions to rain, the chances of devastating floods increase.”

Scientists warn that ecosystems are also under pressure. As temperatures rise, plants and animals are moving higher in search of cooler habitats. “Eventually, they’ll run out of mountain and be pushed off the top,” Pepin said, cautioning that this could lead to species loss and irreversible ecological changes.