Contribution of external forcing to summer precipitation trends over the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and Southwest China

Abstract

In the past 60 years, the global climate has undergone both rapid warming and a brief warming hiatus, while regional precipitation patterns in China have also experienced diverse and complex changes. Specifically, the factors behind the opposing trends in summer precipitation between two adjacent regions—Southwest China and the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau—are particularly intricate. After evaluating the historical runs from CMIP6 models, the authors assessed the contributions of various external forcing factors that simulated the summer precipitation trends observed over the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and Southwest China from 1961 to 2014. The findings show that, compared to other forcing factors, greenhouse gases had a significant impact on the increase in summer precipitation over the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, while aerosols played an important role in the decrease in summer precipitation in Southwest China.

摘要

在过去的60年中, 全球气候经历了快速变暖和短暂的变暖停滞, 而中国的区域降水也经历了多样而复杂的变化. 本文分析了1961年至2014年外强迫因子对青藏高原和中国西南地区夏季降水趋势的影响. 观测数据显示, 青藏高原的夏季降水呈增加趋势, 而中国西南地区的夏季降水呈减少趋势, 这两个相邻地区的夏季降水变化趋势相反. 利用CMIP6数据, 本文研究了不同外强迫因子对两个区域夏季降水趋势的影响. 结果表明, 温室气体对青藏高原夏季降水的增加具有显著影响, 而气溶胶在中国西南地区夏季降水减少中起主要作用.