Interannual Variability of Compound Hot‐Dry Events Over the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract Associated with a warming tendency, a large variability of compound hot‐dry events (CHDEs) is evident in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyze the interannual variability of summer CHDEs over the TP, identify the key large‐scale climate drivers, and reveal the dominant underlying physical mechanisms. The interannual variability of summer CHDEs is dominated by two leading modes: the first explains about 43% of the variance over the southwestern TP, and the second explains about 36% over the eastern TP. The first mode is primarily driven by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). CHDEs over the southwestern TP increase significantly during El Niño years but decrease during La Niña years. Meanwhile, the southern Inner TP exhibits a pronounced asymmetric amplification in its response to ENSO. The influence of ENSO on CHDEs exhibits stronger responses to Eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño and Central Pacific (CP) La Niña events. During EP El Niño events, cloud radiative forcing anomalies (ΔCRFs) and changes in clear‐sky shortwave radiation jointly promote surface warming, whereas during CP La Niña events, ΔCRFs and surface albedo feedback (SAF) reduce surface energy input. Differences between El Niño flavors are primarily associated with ΔCRFs and clear‐sky shortwave radiation, whereas those between La Niña flavors are mainly associated with SAF. In addition, land–atmosphere coupling amplifies surface temperature, thereby leading to asymmetric CHDE responses. The second mode is driven by the Summer North Atlantic Oscillation (SNAO), which induces a north‐south dipole in precipitation over the eastern TP. Surface energy control differs regionally, with clear‐sky downward radiation dominating in the arid northeast and cloud radiative feedback in the humid southeast, yet both show consistent temperature responses. The CHDE response to SNAO is largely phase‐symmetric. These results provide a physical basis for improved prediction and risk assessment of CHDEs over the TP.