Enhanced Recent Local Moisture Recycling on the Northwestern Tibetan Plateau Deduced From Ice Core Deuterium Excess Records

Author(s)

Wenling An, Nanjing University
Shugui Hou, Nanjing University
Qiong Zhang, Stockholm University
Wangbin Zhang, Nanjing University
Shuang-Ye Wu, University of DaytonFollow
Hao Xu, Nanjing University
Hongxi Pang, Nanjing University
Yetang Wang, Shandong Normal University
Yaping Liu, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-16-2017

Publication Source

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

Abstract

Local moisture recycling plays an essential role in maintaining an active hydrological cycle of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Previous studies were largely limited to the seasonal time scale due to short and sparse observations, especially for the northwestern TP. In this study, we used a two‐component mixing model to estimate local moisture recycling over the past decades from the deuterium excess records of two ice cores (i.e., Chongce and Zangser Kangri) from the northwestern TP. The results show that on average almost half of the precipitation on the northwestern TP is provided by local moisture recycling. In addition, the local moisture recycling ratio has increased evidently on the northwestern TP, suggesting an enhanced hydrological cycle. This recent increase could be due to the climatic and environmental changes on the TP in the past decades. Rapid increases in temperature and precipitation have enhanced evaporation. Changes of land surface of plateau have significantly increased evapotranspiration. All of these have intensified local moisture recycling. However, the mixing model used in this study only includes a limited number of climate factors. Some of the extreme values of moisture recycling ratio could be caused by large‐scale atmospheric circulation and other climatic and weather events. Moreover, the potential mechanisms for the increase in local recycling need to be further examined, since the numeric simulations from climate models did not reproduce the increased contribution of local moisture recycling in precipitation.

Inclusive pages

12541-12556

ISBN/ISSN

2169-897X

Document Version

Published Version

Comments

This document has been made available for download in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy.

Permission documentation on file.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JD027235

Copyright

Copyright © 2017, American Geophysical Union

Publisher

American Geophysical Union

Volume

122

Issue

23

Peer Reviewed

yes

eCommons Citation

An, Wenling; Hou, Shugui; Zhang, Qiong; Zhang, Wangbin; Wu, Shuang-Ye; Xu, Hao; Pang, Hongxi; Wang, Yetang; and Liu, Yaping, "Enhanced Recent Local Moisture Recycling on the Northwestern Tibetan Plateau Deduced From Ice Core Deuterium Excess Records" (2017). Geology Faculty Publications. 54.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/geo_fac_pub/54