Agriculture is expanding in tropical mountainous areas, yet its climatic effect is poorly understood. Here, we investigate how elevation regulates the biophysical climate impacts of deforestation over tropical mountainous areas by integrating satellite-observed forest cover changes into a high-resolution land–atmosphere coupled model. We show that recent forest conversion between 2000 and 2014 increased the regional warming by 0.022 ± 0.002 °C in the Southeast Asian Massif, 0.010 ± 0.007 °C in the Barisan Mountains (Maritime Southeast Asia), 0.042 ± 0.010 °C in the Serra da Espinhaço (South America) and 0.047 ± 0.008 °C in the Albertine Rift mountains (Africa) during the local dry season. The deforestation-driven local temperature anomaly can reach up to 2 °C where forest conversion is extensive. The warming from mountain deforestation depends on elevation, through the intertwined and opposing effects of increased albedo causing cooling and decreased evapotranspiration causing warming. As the elevation increases, the albedo effect increases in importance and the warming effect decreases, analogous to previously highlighted decreases of deforestation-induced warming with increasing latitude. As most new croplands are encroaching lands at low to moderate elevations, deforestation produces higher warming from suppressed evapotranspiration. Impacts of this additional warming on crop yields, land degradation and biodiversity of nearby intact ecosystems should be incorporated into future assessments.

农业在热带山区扩展，但其气候影响知之甚少。在这里，我们通过将卫星观测到的森林覆盖率变化整合到高分辨率的陆-气耦合模型中，研究海拔高度如何调节热带山区森林砍伐对生物物理气候的影响。我们显示，2000年至2014年之间最近的森林转换使东南亚地块的区域变暖增加了0.022±0.002°C，Barisan山（东南亚的海事）增加了0.010±0.007°C，而塞拉达的0.042±0.010°C在当地干旱季节，艾伯丁峡谷（非洲）的Espinhaço（南美）和0.047±0.008°C。由森林砍伐引起的局部温度异常可能高达2°C，在此范围内森林转化非常广泛。高山森林砍伐所导致的变暖取决于海拔高度，反照率的增加和相互影响的反照率增加，导致降温，而蒸散量减少，从而导致变暖。随着海拔的升高，反照率效应的重要性会增加，而变暖效应会降低，这类似于先前突出显示的因纬度增加而导致的毁林引起的变暖。由于大多数新的耕地都侵占了中低海拔的土地，森林砍伐由于蒸散量的抑制而产生了更高的变暖。这种额外变暖对附近完整生态系统的农作物产量，土地退化和生物多样性的影响应纳入未来评估中。随着海拔的升高，反照率效应的重要性会增加，而变暖效应会降低，这类似于先前突出显示的因纬度增加而导致的毁林引起的变暖。由于大多数新的耕地都侵占了中低海拔的土地，森林砍伐由于蒸散量的抑制而产生了更高的变暖。这种额外变暖对附近完整生态系统的农作物产量，土地退化和生物多样性的影响应纳入未来评估中。随着海拔的升高，反照率效应的重要性会增加，而变暖效应会降低，这类似于先前突出显示的因纬度增加而导致的毁林引起的变暖。由于大多数新的耕地都侵占了中低海拔的土地，森林砍伐由于蒸散量的抑制而产生了更高的变暖。这种额外变暖对附近完整生态系统的农作物产量，土地退化和生物多样性的影响应纳入未来评估中。砍伐森林造成的蒸散量增加导致了更高的升温。这种额外变暖对附近完整生态系统的农作物产量，土地退化和生物多样性的影响应纳入未来评估中。砍伐森林造成的蒸散量增加导致了更高的升温。这种额外变暖对附近完整生态系统的农作物产量，土地退化和生物多样性的影响应纳入未来评估中。