Overview
The MRI began working on elevation-dependent climate change (EDCC) in 2012, assessing if, where, to what extent, and why mountains and other high-elevation regions of the world are warming more rapidly than surrounding lowlands.
Initially focused on elevation-dependent warming (EDW), the Working Group has since expanded its scope beyond temperature to encompass a broader range of climate processes specific to mountains and high-elevation regions. These include precipitation, cryospheric processes (such as snow cover, snow albedo, and snowline dynamics), vertical aerosol distribution, and changes in ecological zonation.
The EDCC Working Group works in close collaboration with the MRI Mountain Observatories Working Group, and its activities contribute to the objectives and tasks of the GEO Mountains Implementation Plan.
Established: 2012
Current Phase: Second Phase
Objectives
The Working Group aims to:
- Increase understanding of how elevation influences patterns of climate change, including the physical processes and drivers responsible.
- Improve mountain climate observations across elevation gradients through the implementation of standardised approaches.
- Communicate the complexity of mountain climate change and its impacts to a broad audience and diverse stakeholder communities.
Research Questions
The Working Group addresses four key questions:
- What physical processes and drivers explain variable rates of observed warming at contrasting elevations, including those which account for spatial and temporal contrasts in this elevation-dependent warming.
- How are other Essential Mountain Climate Variables (EMCVs) changing across elevation gradients, including precipitation, snow and ice, vegetation, cloud patterns, aerosols, and radiation fluxes?
- How can we improve modelling of the drivers of elevation-dependent climate change to better predict future mountain climate scenarios?
- How can our understanding of past, present, and future elevation-dependent climate change be applied to assess impacts on mountain environments, societies, and downstream regions?
Focus Areas
The Working Group focuses on:
- Understanding physical processes that can explain differential climate trends across elevation gradients.
- Using in situ observations, remote sensing datasets, and model simulations to assess climate change at different elevations.
- Applying knowledge of elevation-dependent climate change to understand impacts on mountain systems, including weather extremes, mountain hazards, cryospheric change, hydrology, and ecology.
Activities and Outputs 2024-2026
Ongoing Work
The Working Group is currently developing a consultation document outlining protocols for the Unified High-Elevation Observation Platform (UHOP), which will be released upon completion.
Community activities for 2025–2026 include:
- Protocols for Monitoring and Measuring Climate Change Along Elevational Gradients – discussing data collection and sampling approaches for quantifying EDCC.
- Data Handling and Analysis – addressing the curation, sharing, and analysis of EDCC datasets
- Unified High-Elevation Observation Platform (UHOP) Workshop – bringing together practitioners to test observation platforms and develop accreditation standards.
- UHOP in Practice Conference (USA, 2026) – exploring practical applications of EDCC research with a broad stakeholder audience
Community suggestions for future workshops and events are welcomed.
Publications and Research Outputs
Key publications from the Working Group include:
- Ferguglia, O., N. Pepin, D. Zardi, A. Napoli, G. Hunt, and E. Palazzi, (2026). Exploring Statistical Methods, Driving Mechanisms, and the Role of Mountain Observatories in Elevation-Dependent Climate Change (EDCC) Studies. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 107, E770–E777. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-26-0050.1.
- Pepin, N. et al. (2025). Elevation-dependent climate change in mountain environments. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 6, 772–788. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00740-4
Read more: ‘Scientists Warn Mountain Climate Change Is Accelerating Faster Than Predicted, Putting Billions of People at Risk’ - Pepin, N.C., Beneš, J., Masiokas, M., Steiner, J., Thornton, J.M. & Williamson, S. (2024). Proposal for the Unified High Elevation Observational Platform (UHOP). A Mountain Research Initiative Report. DOI: 10.48620/77051.
- Napoli, A., Pepin, N., Palazzi, E., & Zardi, D. (2023). A Workshop on Advances in Our Understanding of Elevation Dependent Climate Change. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0043.1
- Thornton, J.M. et al. (2022). Coverage of In Situ Climatological Observations in the World’s Mountains. Frontiers in Climate: https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.81418
- Pepin, N.C. et al. (2022). Climate Changes and Their Elevational Patterns in the Mountains of the World. Reviews of Geophysics, 60: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020RG000730
- Thornton, J.M. et al. (2021). Toward a Definition of Essential Mountain Climate Variables. One Earth, 4(6). DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.05.005
- MRI EDW Working Group (2015). Elevation-Dependent Warming in Mountain Regions of the World. Nature Climate Change 5, 424–430. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2563
The Working Group also contributed substantially to the High Mountain Areas chapter of the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC).
News and Community Updates
Working Group Leads and Members
Working Group Lead
- Nick Pepin, University of Portsmouth, UK | Visit Webpage
Working Group Members
View the current membership list here.
How to Join
MRI Working Groups are community-led initiatives open to all members of the MRI network. Researchers and practitioners from all backgrounds and career stages are welcome to participate. Early career researchers (typically within five years of completing a postgraduate degree), women, and colleagues from developing countries and underrepresented mountain regions are particularly encouraged to get involved.
The first step to joining an MRI Working Group is becoming part of the MRI network. You can do this by creating a profile in the MRI Expert Database. By joining the network, you become part of a vibrant international community of more than 10,000 experts working across research, policy, and practice, united by a shared commitment to mountain regions worldwide.
As a member of the MRI network, you can apply for MRI funding opportunities, participate in Working Groups, and engage in a range of collaborative activities.
Once you have joined the MRI network, you can become a member of the Elevation-Dependent Climate Change Working Group by completing the form below. You will be added to the Working Group mailing list and receive updates on research collaborations, events, knowledge exchange activities, and other opportunities to contribute to the group’s work.
If you have any questions about the Working Group or its activities, please contact Working Group Lead Nick Pepin.
Join the MRI Elevation-Dependent Climate Change Working Group
