Warming-induced monsoon precipitation phase change intensifies glacier mass loss in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: Glaciers are key components of the mountain water towers of Asia and are vital for downstream domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses. The glacier mass loss rate over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau is among the highest in Asia and has accelerated in recent decades. This acceleration has been attributed to increased warming, but the mechanisms behind these glaciers' high sensitivity to warming remain unclear, while the influence of changes in precipitation over the past decades is poorly quantified. Here, we reconstruct glacier mass changes and catchment runoff since 1975 at a benchmark glacier, Parlung No. 4, to shed light on the drivers of recent mass losses for the monsoonal, spring-accumulation glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau. Our modeling demonstrates how a temperature increase (

SUBMITTER: Jouberton A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9477239 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature