C et al. (2026) Land Cover Shapes Altitudinal Land Surface Warming Patterns Across Switzerland

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Earth s Future
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-01
• Authors: Dirk Scherler C, Deniz Tobias Gök, Hendrik Wulf A
• DOI: 10.1029/2026ef008233

Research Groups

• Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (IAC), ETH Zurich
• Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich

Short Summary

This study investigates the impact of land-cover change on land surface temperature trends in Switzerland over almost four decades, revealing that both stable and changing land covers have significant effects on LST.

Objective

• Investigate the relationship between land-cover dynamics and land surface temperature (LST) trends in mountainous regions

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: National scale, covering the entire country of Switzerland
• Temporal Scale: Almost four decades (1978-2016)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not specified
• Data sources: High-resolution satellite data across the entire country of Switzerland

Main Results

• Warming is consistently highest in settlements and agricultural areas, while substantially reduced where vegetation is abundant
• Glacier retreat, urbanization, and changes in snow regimes contribute to relative LST increases
• Increases in vegetation cover induce relative cooling

Contributions

• This study highlights the critical role of land-cover dynamics in shaping mountain surface warming, providing new insights into the complex relationships between climate change, land use, and ecosystems.

Funding

• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) project "Mountain Ecosystems under Climate Change" (SNF grant number 200020_156525)
• European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant "MOUNTAIN" (ERC grant number 695882)

Citation

@article{C2026Land,
  author = {C, Dirk Scherler and Gök, Deniz Tobias and A, Hendrik Wulf},
  title = {Land Cover Shapes Altitudinal Land Surface Warming Patterns Across Switzerland},
  journal = {Earth s Future},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2026ef008233},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2026ef008233}
}