On the origin and destination of atmospheric moisture and air mass over the Tibetan Plateau

Chen, Bin; Xu, Xiangde; Yang, Shuai; Zhang, Wei

doi:10.1007/s00704-012-0641-y

Cited by 145 publications

(134 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The origin of the atmospheric moisture over the TP plays a key role in recent research (e.g. Chen et al, 2012;Feng and Zhou, 2012). Their are three sources of moisture entering the TP: the Asian monsoon systems, the mid-latitude westerlies, and local moisture recycling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chen et al (2012) used backward and forward trajectories to identify the sources and sinks of moisture for the TP in summer. Their results show that for periods longer than 4 days backwards, the main moisture source is the Arabian Sea, while for shorter periods, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the north-western part of the TP contribute moisture in the same order of magnitude.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A 12-year high-resolution climatology of atmospheric water transport over the Tibetan Plateau

2015

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Abstract. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays a key role in the water cycle of high Asia and its downstream regions. The respective influence of the Indian and East Asian summer monsoon on TP precipitation and regional water resources, together with the detection of moisture transport pathways and source regions are the subject of recent research. In this study, we present a 12-year high-resolution climatology of the atmospheric water transport (AWT) over and towards the TP using a new data set, the High Asia Refined analysis (HAR), which better represents the complex topography of the TP and surrounding high mountain ranges than coarse-resolution data sets. We focus on spatiotemporal patterns, vertical distribution and transport through the TP boundaries. The results show that the mid-latitude westerlies have a higher share in summertime AWT over the TP than assumed so far. Water vapour (WV) transport constitutes the main part, whereby transport of water as cloud particles (CP) also plays a role in winter in the Karakoram and western Himalayan regions. High mountain valleys in the Himalayas facilitate AWT from the south, whereas the high mountain regions inhibit AWT to a large extent and limit the influence of the Indian summer monsoon. No transport from the East Asian monsoon to the TP could be detected. Our results show that 36.8 ± 6.3 % of the atmospheric moisture needed for precipitation comes from outside the TP, while the remaining 63.2 % is provided by local moisture recycling.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 12-year high-resolution climatology of atmospheric water transport over the Tibetan Plateau

2015

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“…Lake Nam Co close to the investigation site: Haginoya et al, 2009), modify the large-scale flow and cause a unique precipitation regime over the Tibetan Plateau. A recent study (Chen et al, 2012) also shows that one of the moisture source regions for the Tibetan Plateau in summer is situated on the plateau itself, and that local water recycling is evident in the same season. Third, it is well appreciated that mid-latitude flow impacts High Asia in the non-monsoon season, but less is known about mid-latitude intrusions during the monsoon.…”

Section: Impact Of Monsoon Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The footprint of Asian monsoon dynamics in the mass and energy balance of a Tibetan glacier

et al. 2012

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Abstract. Determinations of glacier-wide mass and energy balance are still scarce for the remote mountains of the Tibetan Plateau, where field measurements are challenging. Here we run and evaluate a physical, distributed mass balance model for Zhadang Glacier (central Tibet, 30 • N) based on in-situ measurements over 2009-2011 and an uncertainty estimate by Monte Carlo and ensemble strategies. The model application aims to provide the first quantification of how the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) impacts an entire glacier over the various stages of the monsoon's annual cycle. We find a strong and systematic ISM footprint on the interannual scale. Early (late) monsoon onset causes higher (lower) accumulation, and reduces (increases) the available energy for ablation primarily through changes in absorbed shortwave radiation. By contrast, only a weak footprint exists in the ISM cessation phase. Most striking though is the core monsoon season: local mass and energy balance variability is fully decoupled from the active/break cycle that defines large-scale atmospheric variability during the ISM. Our results demonstrate quantitatively that monsoon onset strongly affects the ablation season of glaciers in Tibet. However, we find no direct ISM impact on the glacier in the main monsoon season, which has not been acknowledged so far. This result also adds cryospheric evidence that, once the monsoon is in full swing, regional atmospheric variability prevails on the Tibetan Plateau in summer.

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“…Recent climate at Nam Co can be characterized as semi-arid to semihumid, continental , with a mean annual evaporation of 790 mm for the lake surface and 320 mm for the catchment (Li et al 2008). Most local precipitation is delivered by the IOSM during summer, whereas during winter, cold and dry air masses of the Westerlies and the Siberian High prevail (Chen et al 2012). Mean annual precipitation varies between 300 and 500 mm ) and the mean annual air temperature is -1°C .…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeochemical evidence for freshwater periods during the Last Glacial Maximum recorded in lake sediments from Nam Co, south-central Tibetan Plateau

et al. 2015

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Improved knowledge of deglaciation processes during the termination of the Last Glacial Maximum on the Tibetan Plateau can provide important information for understanding deglaciations in climate-sensitive high-altitude ecosystems. Little, however, is known about this time interval because most lacustrine sediment records from the Tibetan Plateau are younger than 19,000 years. This study focused on a lake sediment record from Nam Co, south-central Tibetan Plateau, covering the interval from *23.7 to 20.9 cal ka BP. We analysed the distribution and compound-specific hydrogen isotope composition (dD) of sedimentary n-alkanes, as well as the bulk sediment TOC, TN, d13 C org and d 15 N composition, to infer lake system development. Pronounced changes in environmental conditions between *21.6 and 21.1 cal ka BP, as well as between 23.1 and 22.5 cal ka BP (Greenland Interstadial 2), were inferred from increased aquatic nalkane amounts and decreased dD n-C23 values within these time intervals, respectively. Freshwater inputs, which most likely resulted from enhanced glacier melting, caused these changes. Our results suggest that mountain glacier retreat on the Tibetan Plateau started earlier than previously assumed. The required energy for thawing was probably provided by temperature changes caused by reorganization of atmospheric circulation, which has also been recorded in Greenland ice records.

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On the origin and destination of atmospheric moisture and air mass over the Tibetan Plateau

Cited by 145 publications

References 52 publications

A 12-year high-resolution climatology of atmospheric water transport over the Tibetan Plateau

A 12-year high-resolution climatology of atmospheric water transport over the Tibetan Plateau

The footprint of Asian monsoon dynamics in the mass and energy balance of a Tibetan glacier

Biogeochemical evidence for freshwater periods during the Last Glacial Maximum recorded in lake sediments from Nam Co, south-central Tibetan Plateau

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