Causal pathways underlying global soil moisture-precipitation coupling.

ABSTRACT: Surface soil moisture-precipitation (SSM-P) coupling involves complex processes, with sensible heat (SH) and evapotranspiration as important mediators. However, these coupling pathways and their underlying mechanisms across the globe remain unclear, limiting hydrometeorological predictions and projections. Here, we employ an information flow technique to satellite observations and reanalysis, revealing strong local SSM impacts on precipitation across ~16% of analyzed global land. Among the eight identified coupling hotspots, the SH-mediated pathway emerges as a crucial mechanism, except for two African hotspots dominated by the evapotranspiration-mediated pathway. These pathway differences are linked to remote moisture availability and boundary layer height variability. Strong coupling pre

SUBMITTER: Sun J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12508048 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature