Increasing atmospheric evaporative demand across the Tibetan plateau and implications for surface water resources
The Tibetan Plateau, known as the "Asian water tower," is a hotspot for complex hydroclimatic changes. We reveal that the previously decreasing atmospheric evaporative demand (<i>E<sub>o</sub></i> ) trend at the end of the 20<sup>th</sup> century has reversed over the last two decades. Although both wind stilling and solar dimming have persisted, their effects on <i>E</i> <sub><i>o</i></sub> rates have been overshadowed by increasing air temperatures and decreasing relative humidity, leading to a net rise in <i>E</i> <sub><i>o</i></sub> for 1980-2015. Using the empirical "top-down" Budyko approach, we estimate that across seven sub-catchments draining the Tibetan Plateau, a 10% increase in annual-averaged precipitation, assuming all other factors remain constant, would lead to a 15%-19% increase in streamflow. Conversely, a 10% increase in annual-averaged <i>E</i> <sub><i>o</i></sub> would decrease streamflow by 5%-9%. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of the accelerating hydroclimatic changes and their impact on surface water resources in the Tibetan Plateau.
Authors
- Tim R. McVicar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0877-8285)
- Ningpeng Dong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5226-6180)
- Shiqin Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4899-0598)
- Dennis P. Lettenmaier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0914-0726)
- Hylke E. Beck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2553-9566)
- Akash Koppa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5671-0878)
- Pierre Gentine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0845-8345)
- Joshua B. Fisher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4734-9085)
- Matthew F. McCabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1279-5272)
- Zhongbo Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3471-8577)
Institutions
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU)
- Australian Research Council (AU)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Hohai University (CN)
- Chapman University (US)
- China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (CN)
- HES-SO Valais-Wallis (CH)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA)
- Columbia University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- iScience
- Published
- 2024-12-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.111623
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.01
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology