Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Fangbin Liu, Martin Danisik, Dewen Zheng, Kerry Gallagher, Junsheng Nie
Summary: The exhumation history of the SE Tibetan Plateau during the Cenozoic reveals two stages of rapid cooling, with the late Eocene attributed to tectonic processes and the middle Miocene linked to intensified precipitation and associated fault movements. Construction of the present-day topography of the SE Tibetan Plateau was largely driven by extrusion and upper crustal shortening in the late Eocene, but modified by climate-triggered fluvial incision and feedbacks initiated in the middle Miocene.
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qiong Li, Pushuang Li, Xiaojing Liu, Zixuan Chen, Li Liu, Weiming Liu, Yuanlong Luo, Jiantao Zhou, Chen Wen, Shengli Yang
Summary: This study investigates the history of climate variability during the last glaciation in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) using loess deposits in the eastern TP as an archive. Through dating techniques and environmental proxy analysis, the researchers establish a reliable chronology and reconstruct the dust activities and environmental variation. The results show that wind-blown loess in this region started accumulating at least 60 thousand years ago and experienced high variability during the last glacial period.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Bai Su, Jimin Sun, Chun-Sheng Jin
Summary: By investigating a lacustrine sequence from the Lunpola Basin, this study reveals that the South Asian monsoon intensified and advanced northward to the central Tibetan Plateau at least by 25.5 million years ago. This finding is crucial for understanding the formation and evolution of the Asian monsoon system.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Hui Sun, Xiaodong Liu
Summary: The Tibetan Plateau has significant dynamic and thermal effects on precipitation in Asian arid and monsoon regions, with differences in different seasons and regions. The thermal effect dominates the decrease in summer precipitation, while the dynamic effect dominates the decrease in winter precipitation, especially with a more pronounced impact on the East Asian monsoon region.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Liping Wang, Haijun Yang
Summary: This study finds that the Tibetan Plateau significantly decreases snowfall in northern China by reducing moisture, while it greatly increases snowfall in southern China by drawing cold air and moisture. This has implications for China's winter climate and human comfort.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhengchuang Hui, Jia Liu, Manuel Chevalier, Xiao Wei, Peng Chen, Jun Zhang, Tingjiang Peng, Xuewen Zhou
Summary: Understanding the evolution of the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) at different time scales is important for revealing the interactions between the hydrosphere, land, oceans, and atmosphere. By studying the late Miocene period, researchers have reconstructed the EASM precipitation and found that it is influenced by global climate and the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Additionally, on orbital time scales, the eccentricity periodicity plays a dominant role in the EASM precipitation cycles.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bernhard Aichner, Bernd Wunnemann, Alice Callegaro, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, Dada Yan, Yongzhan Zhang, Carlo Barbante, Dirk Sachse
Summary: This study evaluates the ecological and hydrological changes in Lake Hala, China and finds that the retreat of glaciers and increased meltwater discharge are the key drivers of ecological responses, with the lake ecosystem being more sensitive to temperature changes than large-scale monsoonal variability.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geology
Guoqing Xia, Chihua Wu, Ahmed Mansour, Xin Jin, Haisheng Yi, Gaojie Li, Qiushuang Fan, Zhiqiang Shi, Julian B. Murton, Junling Pei, Juan Pedro Rodriguez-Lopez
Summary: Intermittent cryospheric processes occurred in the midlatitude Northern Hemisphere during the late Eocene and Eocene-Oligocene transition, as evidenced by the presence of frost marks, ice-rafted debris (IRD), and glendonites in the Lunpola Basin of the central Tibetan Plateau. These cryospheric deposits, dated to approximately 36.2-31.8 Ma, provide robust continental evidence for the influence of the global cold snap EOT-1 on already glacierized high-altitude mountains, resulting in the development of ice fields, ice caps, and valley glaciers with proglacial lake systems.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xiangjun Liu, Xiaodong Miao, Junsheng Nie, Xiaojian Zhang, Yixuan Wang, Xiangzhong Li, Xianjiao Ou, Zhongping Lai
Summary: This study reveals the variation in aeolian loess thickness and basal ages on the Tibetan Plateau, dividing it into three zones: source and sink areas for dust, and a transitional zone. Glacial-interglacial precipitation and vegetation cover changes play a role in controlling the switch between these zones. The study provides insights into Tibetan loess accumulation patterns and enables predictions for future ecological disasters.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Die Hu, Anmin Duan, Ping Zhang
Summary: This study investigates the impact of thermal forcing over the Tibetan Plateau on the onset of the summer monsoon in the Arabian Sea and India. The results show that the diabatic heating over the Tibetan Plateau is negatively correlated with the onset date of the summer monsoon, and it can induce the formation of the South Asian High, leading to an earlier onset of the monsoon.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Bian He, Chen Sheng, Guoxiong Wu, Yimin Liu, Yiqiong Tang
Summary: A new index based on potential vorticity framework is proposed to quantify the thermodynamic and dynamic forcing of the Tibetan Plateau surface. The results show that the index includes topographical effect, near-surface absolute vorticity, and land-air potential temperature differences. The index reveals the transition of the Tibetan Plateau from a cooling to a heating source in April and reaches a peak from June to August, consistent with the evolution of Asian summer monsoon precipitation.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hanjing Fu, Xing Jian, Hanghai Liang, Wei Zhang, Xiaotian Shen, Ling Wang
Summary: The chemical weathering of continental silicates plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's long-term climate and global carbon cycle. The study in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau since the middle Miocene reveals a close interaction between weathering processes, climate, and tectonics. The sediment provenance and paleo-chemical weathering history in the region have remained relatively stable since the middle Miocene, with changes in weathering intensity influenced by both climate shifts and tectonic activity. Uplift-induced physical denudation and regional aridity have contributed to a transition in the chemical weathering regime, highlighting the complex relationship between weathering intensity, climate, and tectonics in arid, tectonically-active regions.
Article
Geography, Physical
Zongyao Li, Mei Sheng, Xisheng Wang, Kai Jiang, Ping Sun, Shiyu Yi, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: This study analyzes the thick Xining loess deposits in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and finds a more significant increase in the strength of the East Asian winter monsoon and aridification compared to typical loess records on the Chinese Loess Plateau, confirming that the uplifted Tibetan Plateau may enhance the East Asian monsoon circulation and aridity under global cooling.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qingfeng Ma, Liping Zhu, Junbo Wang, Jianting Ju, Yong Wang
Summary: Recent changes in the climate and environment of the Tibetan Plateau have been influenced by variations in the Westerlies and the Indian summer monsoon. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding long-term shifts in atmospheric circulation during the transitional seasons. By studying the distribution of Tsuga pollen, researchers have identified it as an indicator of variable atmospheric circulation in spring. The results suggest the existence of a potential particle transport pathway from the southern slope of the Himalayas to the interior of the plateau during the late Holocene spring.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shengxian Li, Qian Zhang, Jiahan Wang
Summary: Cirque morphology study can reflect patterns of paleoclimate, paleoglaciation, and landscape evolution. This study focused on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau and found that cirque size increased with temperature and decreased with precipitation. Cirques tended to face the northeast and their aspect changed with altitude. The strength of the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) did not necessarily increase cirque density but limited cirque size on a regional scale.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)