North Atlantic Ocean natural variability drives glacier mass loss over the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Ocean temperature anomalies can drive anomalous atmospheric circulation, further impacting High Mountain Asia’s glacier dynamics, but this teleconnection remains underexplored. Here we present robust interannual and multidecadal relationships between glacier mass balance over the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and the North Atlantic sea surface temperature anomalies, after removing anthropogenic warming trends. The annual sea surface temperature tripole pattern explains 33.6% of the interannual glacier mass variability, mediated by the atmospheric wave train. On multi-decadal timescales, the average glacier mass loss of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau accelerates from −0.16 ± 0.14 m w.e. yr−1 (1965–2000) to −0.25 ± 0.10 m w.e. yr−1 (2000–2020), coinciding with a phase shift of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. Anomalous North Atlantic warming triggers mid-latitude Rossby waves and an anticyclone over the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, amplifying early-21st-century regional warming through reduced clouds and albedo to enhance glacier mass loss. These results emphasize the crucial role of natural variability in the North Atlantic ocean alongside anthropogenic forcing in comprehensively understanding glacier response to future climate changes. The North Atlantic warming results in glacier mass loss through Rossby wave trains over the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau, according to analysis of teleconnection mechanism between glacier mass and sea surface temperature anomalies.