Holocene temperature and precipitation variability on the central Tibetan Plateau revealed by multiple palaeo-climatic proxy records from an alpine wetland sequence

Abstract. Lack of reliable long-term precipitation record from northern Tibetan Plateau has constrained the understanding of precipitation variation in this region. An ice core drilled from the Puruogangri Ice Field on central Tibetan Plateau in the year 2000 helped reveal the precipitation variations since AD 1600. Analysis of the annual accumulation data presented precipitation changes from AD 1600, indicative of wet and dry periods in the past 400 year in the central Tibetan Plateau. Accordingly, the 18th and 20th centuries experienced high precipitation period, whilst the 19th century experienced low precipitation period. Such a feature was consistent with precipitation recorded in ice cores from Dunde and Guliya Glaciers, northern Tibetan Plateau. Besides, the results also pointed to consistency in precipitation-temperature correlation on the northern Tibetan Plateau, in a way that temperature and precipitation were positively correlated. But this feature was contrary to the relationship revealed from Dasuopu ice cores, southern Tibetan Plateau, where temperature and precipitation were negatively correlated. The north-south contrast in precipitation amount and its relationship with temperature may shed light on the reconstruction of Asian monsoon since AD 1600.

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Evapotranspiration and energy partitioning of a typical alpine wetland in the central Tibetan Plateau

Atmospheric Research ◽

10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105931 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 105931

Author(s):

Kunxin Wang ◽

Ning Ma ◽

Yinsheng Zhang ◽

Yaohui Qiang ◽

Yanhong Guo

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Energy Partitioning ◽

Alpine Wetland ◽

Central Tibetan Plateau

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Surface Albedo Variation and Its Influencing Factors over Dongkemadi Glacier, Central Tibetan Plateau

Advances in Meteorology ◽

10.1155/2015/852098 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jie Wang ◽

Yuhuan Cui ◽

Xiaobo He ◽

Jian Zhang ◽

Shijiang Yan

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Mass Balance ◽

Critical Role ◽

Influence Factors ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Spatiotemporal Variability ◽

Glacier Mass Balance ◽

Temperature And Precipitation ◽

Central Tibetan Plateau ◽

The Relationship

Glacier albedo plays a critical role in surface-atmosphere energy exchange, the variability of which influences glacier mass balance as well as water resources. Dongkemadi glacier in central Tibetan Plateau was selected as study area; this research used field measurements to verify Landsat TM-derived albedo and MOD10A1 albedo product and then analyzed the spatiotemporal variability of albedo over the glacier according to them, as well as its influence factors and the relationship with glacier mass balance. The spatial distribution of glacier albedo in winter did not vary with altitude and was determined by terrain shield, whereas, in summer, albedo increased with altitude and was only influenced by terrain shield at accumulation zone. During 2000–2009, albedo in summer decreased at a rate of 0.0052 per year and was influenced by air temperature and precipitation levels, whereas albedo in winter increased at a rate of 0.0045 per year, influenced by the level and frequency of precipitation. The annual variation of albedo in summer during 2000–2012 has the high relative to that of glacier mass balance measurement, which indicates that glacier albedo in the ablation period can be considered as a proxy for glacier mass balance.

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Drought and Wetness Variability and the Respective Contribution of Temperature and Precipitation in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Advances in Meteorology ◽

10.1155/2021/7378196 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Lele Zhang ◽

Liming Gao

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Qaidam Basin ◽

Linear Trend ◽

Kendall Test ◽

Precipitation Variability ◽

Meteorological Forcing ◽

Climatic Regions ◽

Temperature And Precipitation ◽

Respective Contribution ◽

The Mean

Quantifying drought and wetness fluctuations is of great significance to the regional ecological environment and water resource security, especially in the fragile Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). In this paper, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was calculated based on the observed data and China Meteorological Forcing Dataset (CMFD) in the QTP for the period of 1979–2015, and the drought and wetness evolution based on the SPEI series and respective contribution of temperature and precipitation were also analyzed. Results indicated that meteorological stations are mainly concentrated in the eastern part of the plateau, which cannot reflect the drought and wetness trend of the whole QTP. The linear trend and Mann–Kendall test revealed that SPEI series calculated based on CMFD data at 1-, 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-, and 24-month time scales all showed significant upward trend p < 0.01 , indicating that the QTP as a whole tended to be wetter. Spatially, the regions with significant drying p < 0.1 and increased drought probability were mainly concentrated in the Qaidam Basin and the southern part of the QTP, and the mean contribution rates of temperature and precipitation variability to SPEI trend in these regions were 60% and −11%, respectively. The regions with significant wetting p < 0.1 and decreased drought probability were mainly concentrated in the northeast, central, and western parts of the plateau, and the mean contribution rates of temperature and precipitation variability to SPEI trend were −9% and 61% in these regions. From the statistics in different climatic regions, most of the arid and humid regions in the QTP tended to be drier, while the semiarid regions tended to be wetter.

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