Projected elevation-dependent warming in the Alps: contrasting free-atmosphere and surface trends with surface energy balance drivers

Castellanos, Ian; Ménégoz, Martin; Blanchet, Juliette; Beaumet, Julien; Gallée, Hubert; Moreno-Chamarro, Eduardo; Staquet, Chantal; Fettweis, Xavier

doi:10.5194/esd-17-581-2026

Articles | Volume 17, issue 3

https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-17-581-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-17-581-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 17, issue 3

Research article

|

21 May 2026

Research article |

| 21 May 2026

Projected elevation-dependent warming in the Alps: contrasting free-atmosphere and surface trends with surface energy balance drivers

Ian Castellanos, Martin Ménégoz, Juliette Blanchet, Julien Beaumet, Hubert Gallée, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro, Chantal Staquet, and Xavier Fettweis

Data sets

MAR-MPI-ESM1-2-HR HIST (1961-2014) and SSP245 European Alps (2015-2100) J. Beaumet et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5834221

MAR-MPI-ESM1-2-HR SSP585 European Alps (2015-2100) J. Beaumet et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5834376

MAR-EC-Earth3 HIST (1961- 2014) and SSP245 European Alps (2015-2100) J. Beaumet et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5838345

MARv3.14-MPI-ESM1-2-HR HIST European Alps (1961-2014) I. Castellanos et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17569252

MARv3.14-MPI-ESM1-2-HR SSP585 European Alps (2015-2100) I. Castellanos et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17534365

Ian-CD/PhD: EDW Article I. Castellanos https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20274037

Short summary

The Alps host glaciers, distinct ecosystems, socio-economic interests and water resources that are being impacted by climate change. In this study, we aim at understanding how warming occurs in the Alps in projected scenarios and what physical processes drive it. We find under these scenarios that elevations around the snowline will warm faster than elsewhere, because snow retreats to higher elevations. Indeed, snow slows down warming due to its high albedo and the energy consumed to melt it.