Increasing atmospheric evaporative demand across the Tibetan plateau and implications for surface water resources.

ABSTRACT: The Tibetan Plateau, known as the "Asian water tower," is a hotspot for complex hydroclimatic changes. We reveal that the previously decreasing atmospheric evaporative demand (E_o ) trend at the end of the 20^th century has reversed over the last two decades. Although both wind stilling and solar dimming have persisted, their effects on E _o rates have been overshadowed by increasing air temperatures and decreasing relative humidity, leading to a net rise in E _o for 1980-2015. Using the empirical "top-down" Budyko approach, we estimate that across seven sub-catchments draining the Tibetan Plateau, a 10% increase in annual-averaged precipitation, assuming all other factors remain constant, would lead to a 15%-19% in

SUBMITTER: Xu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11803223 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature