Future Climate Changes on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Under <scp>CMIP6</scp> Global Climate Models

ABSTRACT Rapid climate change on the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is reshaping ecosystems, altering water availability and affecting human livelihoods. Understanding the timing and distribution of these changes is now critical. This study examines precipitation and temperature changes from 1980 to 2100 using CMIP6 global climate models (GCMs) and high‐resolution observational data. It examined seasonal and annual variability, model biases and projected changes for various climate scenarios. Our findings show that climate models consistently overestimated precipitation, particularly in southeastern QTP, while cold biases are prevalent in central and western regions in the past. Seasonal precipitation patterns exhibit significant variation across QTP. Bias corrections enhanced model reliability, reinforcing projections of wetter conditions and continued warming across QTP. Future projections indicate wetter conditions in winter and summer, though some areas may experience a slight decline in annual accumulations. Temperature trends project pronounced warming across all seasons, with the strongest increases expected in winter. Both maximum and minimum temperatures project significant upward trends, particularly at higher elevations. These findings indicate a shift toward a warmer and wetter climate at QTP, with potential environmental and socio‐economic impacts. The study underscores the urgency of adaptive strategies to mitigate climate risks and enhance resilience in this high‐altitude environment.

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Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of Climatology
Published
2025-06-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.70005
Primary Topic
Climate variability and models
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Future Climate Changes on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Under CMIP6 Global Climate Models

Tao Su, Hassen Babaousmail, Rizwan Karim, Brian Odhiambo Ayugi et al.
International Journal of Climatology
Climate variability and models
article

Future Climate Changes on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Under CMIP6 Global Climate Models

Tao Su, Hassen Babaousmail, Rizwan Karim, Brian Odhiambo Ayugi, Shufeng Li, Shumei Xiao
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Rapid climate change on the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is reshaping ecosystems, altering water availability and affecting human livelihoods. Understanding the timing and distribution of these changes is now critical. This study examines precipitation and temperature changes from 1980 to 2100 using CMIP6 global climate models (GCMs) and high‐resolution observational data. It examined seasonal and annual variability, model biases and projected changes for various climate scenarios. Our findings show that climate models consistently overestimated precipitation, particularly in southeastern QTP, while cold biases are prevalent in central and western regions in the past. Seasonal precipitation patterns exhibit significant variation across QTP. Bias corrections enhanced model reliability, reinforcing projections of wetter conditions and continued warming across QTP. Future projections indicate wetter conditions in winter and summer, though some areas may experience a slight decline in annual accumulations. Temperature trends project pronounced warming across all seasons, with the strongest increases expected in winter. Both maximum and minimum temperatures project significant upward trends, particularly at higher elevations. These findings indicate a shift toward a warmer and wetter climate at QTP, with potential environmental and socio‐economic impacts. The study underscores the urgency of adaptive strategies to mitigate climate risks and enhance resilience in this high‐altitude environment.

International Journal of ClimatologyVol. 45(11)
Seoul National University of Science and Technology (KR), Yunnan University (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (CN), Chengdu University of Technology (CN), State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 86%
Climate variability and models
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