Increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation over the Three-River Headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau
The Three-River Headwaters (TRH) region in the Tibetan Plateau is vulnerable to climate change; changes in summer (June–August) precipitation have a significant impact on water security and sustainability in both local and downstream areas. However, the changes in summer precipitation of different i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Advances in Climate Change Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674927823000874 |
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| author | Xuan Liu Ming-Xiang Yang Ning-Peng Dong Wei-Ning Xie Hong-Gang Li Zhen Guan Fan Wen Hao Wang Deliang Chen |
| author_facet | Xuan Liu Ming-Xiang Yang Ning-Peng Dong Wei-Ning Xie Hong-Gang Li Zhen Guan Fan Wen Hao Wang Deliang Chen |
| author_sort | Xuan Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Three-River Headwaters (TRH) region in the Tibetan Plateau is vulnerable to climate change; changes in summer (June–August) precipitation have a significant impact on water security and sustainability in both local and downstream areas. However, the changes in summer precipitation of different intensities over the TRH region, along with their influencing factors, remain unclear. In this study, we used observational and ERA5 reanalysis data and employed a precipitation categorization and water vapor budget analysis to quantify the categorized precipitation variations and investigate their possible linkages with the water vapor budget. Our results showed an increasing trend in summer precipitation at a rate of 0.9 mm per year (p < 0.1) during 1979–2020, with a significant dry-to-wet transition in 2002. The category ‘very heavy precipitation’ (≥10 mm d−1) contributed 65.1% of the increased summer precipitation, which occurred frequently in the northern TRH region. The dry-to-wet transition was caused by the effects of varied atmospheric circulations in each subregion. Southwesterly water vapor transport through the southern boundary was responsible for the increased net water vapor flux in the western TRH region (158.2%), while southeasterly water vapor transport through the eastern boundary was responsible for the increased net water vapor flux in the central TRH (155.2%) and eastern TRH (229.2%) regions. Therefore, we inferred that the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation and the increased ‘very heavy precipitation’ over the TRH was caused by increased easterly and southerly water vapor transport. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:49:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d7be21884c834e03b8d02c75469cdd01 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1674-9278 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:49:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advances in Climate Change Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-d7be21884c834e03b8d02c75469cdd012023-09-22T04:38:24ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Advances in Climate Change Research1674-92782023-08-01144502510Increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation over the Three-River Headwaters in the Tibetan PlateauXuan Liu0Ming-Xiang Yang1Ning-Peng Dong2Wei-Ning Xie3Hong-Gang Li4Zhen Guan5Fan Wen6Hao Wang7Deliang Chen8College of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300354, China; State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China; Regional Climate Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg S-405 30, SwedenState Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China; Cooperative Innovation Center for Water Safety & Hydro Science, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; Corresponding author. State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China.State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China; Cooperative Innovation Center for Water Safety & Hydro Science, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, ChinaHydrology and Water Resources Survey Bureau of Hainan Province, Hainan 571126, ChinaHuaneng Lancang River Hydropower INC., Kunming 650214, ChinaHuaneng Lancang River Hydropower INC., Kunming 650214, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, ChinaRegional Climate Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg S-405 30, Sweden; Corresponding author.The Three-River Headwaters (TRH) region in the Tibetan Plateau is vulnerable to climate change; changes in summer (June–August) precipitation have a significant impact on water security and sustainability in both local and downstream areas. However, the changes in summer precipitation of different intensities over the TRH region, along with their influencing factors, remain unclear. In this study, we used observational and ERA5 reanalysis data and employed a precipitation categorization and water vapor budget analysis to quantify the categorized precipitation variations and investigate their possible linkages with the water vapor budget. Our results showed an increasing trend in summer precipitation at a rate of 0.9 mm per year (p < 0.1) during 1979–2020, with a significant dry-to-wet transition in 2002. The category ‘very heavy precipitation’ (≥10 mm d−1) contributed 65.1% of the increased summer precipitation, which occurred frequently in the northern TRH region. The dry-to-wet transition was caused by the effects of varied atmospheric circulations in each subregion. Southwesterly water vapor transport through the southern boundary was responsible for the increased net water vapor flux in the western TRH region (158.2%), while southeasterly water vapor transport through the eastern boundary was responsible for the increased net water vapor flux in the central TRH (155.2%) and eastern TRH (229.2%) regions. Therefore, we inferred that the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation and the increased ‘very heavy precipitation’ over the TRH was caused by increased easterly and southerly water vapor transport.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674927823000874Summer precipitationThree-river headwaters regionPrecipitation intensityWater vapor budget |
| spellingShingle | Xuan Liu Ming-Xiang Yang Ning-Peng Dong Wei-Ning Xie Hong-Gang Li Zhen Guan Fan Wen Hao Wang Deliang Chen Increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation over the Three-River Headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau Advances in Climate Change Research Summer precipitation Three-river headwaters region Precipitation intensity Water vapor budget |
| title | Increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation over the Three-River Headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full | Increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation over the Three-River Headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation over the Three-River Headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation over the Three-River Headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_short | Increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry-to-wet transition of summer precipitation over the Three-River Headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau |
| title_sort | increased southerly and easterly water vapor transport contributed to the dry to wet transition of summer precipitation over the three river headwaters in the tibetan plateau |
| topic | Summer precipitation Three-river headwaters region Precipitation intensity Water vapor budget |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674927823000874 |
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