Tropical Pacific Zonal Temperature Gradient Intensified by the Tibetan Plateau Surface Darkening

Abstract The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is experiencing substantial changes in land properties, particularly a decrease in albedo, known as “TP surface darkening.” These changes have profound impacts on global climate, but whether and how TP darkening influence Pacific climate variability is unknown. Here, using an Earth System Model, we find TP darkening contributes to North Pacific Meridional Mode‐like cooling anomaly over the subtropical Pacific particularly in boreal winter and spring. This anomaly induces persistent annual near‐surface easterly winds in equatorial Pacific and strengthens Walker Circulation in a series of atmosphere‐ocean interactions, culminating in an intensified tropical Pacific zonal temperature gradient especially during boreal summer and autumn. Our finding underscores TP darkening might be taken into account in the debate of tropical Pacific El Niño‐like warming pattern under greenhouse warming, and demonstrates that the tropical Pacific could serve as intermediaries for TP‐driven changes to influence global climate.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Published
2025-11-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl117253
Primary Topic
Climate variability and models
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Tropical Pacific Zonal Temperature Gradient Intensified by the Tibetan Plateau Surface Darkening

Shilong Piao, Shuchang Tang, Tandong Yao, Fei Kan et al.
Geophysical Research Letters
Climate variability and models
article

Tropical Pacific Zonal Temperature Gradient Intensified by the Tibetan Plateau Surface Darkening

Shilong Piao, Shuchang Tang, Tandong Yao, Fei Kan, Wenju Cai, Xichen Li, Tao Wang, Kai Wang, Laurent Li, Yanchen Gui
article en

Abstract

Abstract The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is experiencing substantial changes in land properties, particularly a decrease in albedo, known as “TP surface darkening.” These changes have profound impacts on global climate, but whether and how TP darkening influence Pacific climate variability is unknown. Here, using an Earth System Model, we find TP darkening contributes to North Pacific Meridional Mode‐like cooling anomaly over the subtropical Pacific particularly in boreal winter and spring. This anomaly induces persistent annual near‐surface easterly winds in equatorial Pacific and strengthens Walker Circulation in a series of atmosphere‐ocean interactions, culminating in an intensified tropical Pacific zonal temperature gradient especially during boreal summer and autumn. Our finding underscores TP darkening might be taken into account in the debate of tropical Pacific El Niño‐like warming pattern under greenhouse warming, and demonstrates that the tropical Pacific could serve as intermediaries for TP‐driven changes to influence global climate.

Geophysical Research LettersVol. 52(21)
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere (AU), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Peking University (CN), Sorbonne Université (FR), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (FR), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (CN), Institute of Earth Environment (CN), Laoshan Laboratory, Ocean University of China (CN)
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Peking University
Openalex Percentile: Top 69%
Climate variability and models
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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