Influence of Anthropogenic Activities on Near‐Surface Wind Speed Attenuation Over the Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACT A comprehensive understanding of long‐term trends in near‐surface wind speed (SWS) and their underlying physical mechanisms is imperative for progress in atmospheric science, climatology, and energy‐related fields. Utilising observational data and simulations from 10 models, this study investigates the role of anthropogenic activities in the observed decline of SWS over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) from 1961 to 2014. The results show a widespread and statistically significant decline in the annual mean SWS across the TP. The models qualitatively captured this decreasing trend under all‐forcing scenarios. Detection and attribution analysis attributes the observed wind speed decline primarily to anthropogenic forcings, which account for most of the reduction, while natural forcings show no detectable influence. Among these anthropogenic factors, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were responsible for the greatest decrease in SWS over the TP. In comparison, the contributions from aerosol forcing and land use change were marginal; their negative regression coefficients indicate that they partially offset the overall weakening trend. The underlying mechanism involves GHG‐induced asymmetric warming. This warming weakened the pressure gradient over the TP by causing a greater increase in geopotential height over the mid‐high latitudes north of the plateau than over the regions to its south. These findings highlight the dominant influence of human activities on wind speed changes over the TP, with important implications for wind resource planning and ecological management.