Topography effects exceed global warming effects
A part of the characteristics of the Alpine is that temperatures can change rapidly and differ dramatically over short distances (Fig. 1). Hence, what may be predicted as a maximum warming scenario of 2-3 K higher temperature can be found in (or may even be exceeded by) the difference between the two sides of a single mountain crest or even in small topographic gradients. Rapid global warming is thus initially more likely to shift such topography driven mosaics of vegetation than to induce large scale shifts of vegetation belts.