Human Enhanced Moisture Transport Exacerbated the Extreme Precipitation in Northern China

Abstract Although previous studies suggest anthropogenic forcing may influence extreme precipitation probability, few have specifically investigated the human influence on moisture transport. Here, we leverage the 2023 record‐breaking summer precipitation in Northern China (NC) to address this gap. Combining station observation with Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) model outputs, we demonstrate that the 2023‐like heavy precipitation event was exacerbated by anthropogenic enhanced moisture transport. External forcing increased the probability of extreme southeasterly moisture transport by approximately 1.3 (90% confidence interval: 1.0–1.8) times. Moreover, the total anthropogenic forcing likely increased the probability of similar precipitation events at least 1.7 times (1.0–3.1), with both greenhouse gases and anthropogenic aerosols contributing positively. As greenhouse gases concentrations rise and anthropogenic warming intensifies, the frequency of similar extreme precipitation events in NC is projected to increase further.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Published
2025-08-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gl113900
Primary Topic
Climate variability and models
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Human Enhanced Moisture Transport Exacerbated the Extreme Precipitation in Northern China

Ying Sun, Ge Song
Geophysical Research Letters
Climate variability and models
article

Human Enhanced Moisture Transport Exacerbated the Extreme Precipitation in Northern China

Ying Sun, Ge Song
article en

Abstract

Abstract Although previous studies suggest anthropogenic forcing may influence extreme precipitation probability, few have specifically investigated the human influence on moisture transport. Here, we leverage the 2023 record‐breaking summer precipitation in Northern China (NC) to address this gap. Combining station observation with Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) model outputs, we demonstrate that the 2023‐like heavy precipitation event was exacerbated by anthropogenic enhanced moisture transport. External forcing increased the probability of extreme southeasterly moisture transport by approximately 1.3 (90% confidence interval: 1.0–1.8) times. Moreover, the total anthropogenic forcing likely increased the probability of similar precipitation events at least 1.7 times (1.0–3.1), with both greenhouse gases and anthropogenic aerosols contributing positively. As greenhouse gases concentrations rise and anthropogenic warming intensifies, the frequency of similar extreme precipitation events in NC is projected to increase further.

Geophysical Research LettersVol. 52(15)
China Meteorological Administration (CN), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 80%
Climate variability and models
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