Marked acceleration in glacier mass loss across High Mountain Asia since 2000

High Mountain Asia (HMA) contains the largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar regions and is vital in sustaining downstream water resources. However, glacier responses to climate change across HMA exhibit pronounced spatial and temporal heterogeneity, the drivers of which remain insufficiently understood. Using the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM), we reconstructed glacier mass balance, volume changes, and runoff variations from 1980 to 2019, and further assessed regional glacier sensitivity to temperature and precipitation through perturbation experiments. The results reveal that glacier mass loss accelerated notably after 2000, indicating a clear phase shift. Glacier volume changes display a clear west-to-east zonation, with volume gains in the western regions, initial increases followed by decreases in the central regions, and continuous loss in the eastern regions. Annual glacier runoff increased across most basins, accompanied by declining contributions in July and August, and a corresponding rise in June and September, reflecting a shift in meltwater production timing. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the strongest temperature sensitivity occurs in the southeastern HMA, while the highest precipitation sensitivity is observed in the southern areas. The combination of intensified post-2000 warming and regionally divergent climate sensitivities explains the acceleration and heterogeneity of glacier loss. These findings provide insights into the temporally phased and spatially heterogeneous glacier-climate interactions in HMA, with important implications for future regional climate adaptation.