Centre for Mountains in Transition

The consequences of climate change in mountain areas worldwide are severe. Glaciers and snowpacks are retreating and disappearing, water regimes are changing, and snow is often replaced by rain. Climate change and the associated changes in snow and hydrology affect the characteristic mountain biodiversity that supports vital ecosystem functions and services in the mountains, communities, and societies. All these changes are amplified by increased human pressures, as is well-documented in the scientific literature and highlighted by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The interactions between climate, mountain environments, and ecosystems are complex because mountains are crucial in shaping regional climates by producing their distinct local humidity, temperature, and wind patterns, influencing local hydrology, distribution of snowpacks, and ecosystems. We need improved and integrated models and scenarios of mountain climates, environments, and ecosystems to advance our understanding of ongoing and future changes – a precondition for knowledge-based policies, management and decision-making. Empirical evidence at the relevant scales and resolutions is needed to build and ground truth such models. Connecting and integrating empirical evidence with integrated models constitutes a significant scientific challenge. We will address these challenges with an interdisciplinary research program targeting accelerated environmental changes in the Scandinavian mountains, emphasising major trends, shifting seasonality, extremes, and resilience. The cutting-edge science produced by the Centre for Mountains in Transition (CMT) will integrate insights and approaches from complementary disciplines in a coordinated effort to better understand and contribute solutions that can safeguard mountains and the societies that depend on them. This will help guide sustainable and responsible human lives and livelihoods in the Scandinavian mountains and beyond.