Interannual Variation of Moisture Sources in the Three-River Source Region During Rainy Season and Influencing Factors

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  • 1. College of Atmospheric SciencesChengdu University of Information Technology / Sichuan Key Laboratory of Plateau Atmosphere and EnvironmentChengdu 610225SichuanChina
    2. Northwest Institute of Ecological Environment and ResourcesChinese Academy of Sciences / State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil EngineeringNorthwest Institute of Eco-Environment and ResourcesChinese Academy of SciencesLanzhou 730000GansuChina

Online published: 2025-05-20

Abstract

The Three-River Source regionTRSR),located on the Qinghai-Tibet PlateauQTP),are the source regions of YangtzeYellow and Lancang Riverplays a critical role in water conservation and is renowned as the “Water Tower of China”. Under the background of global climate changethis region exhibits characteristics of rising temperatures and increased precipitation. Sufficient moisture supply is a prerequisite for precipitationand the transport pathways and the characteristics of moisture sources have profound impacts on precipitation mechanismswater resource regulationand ecosystem stability in the TRSR. Current research predominantly employs traditional Eulerian methods for moisture transport analysiswhich makes it difficult to accurately quantify the relative contributions of different source regions. Studies using Lagrangian trajectory models often focus on extreme precipitationlacking long-term analysis. This study used CFSR reanalysis data to drive the Lagrangian model FLEXPARTconducting long-term forward simulations of 5 million air parcels from 1980 to 2017. Combined with the Water Sip moisture source diagnostic methodthe research focused on the rainy seasonMay-Sep‐temberin the TRSRsystematically identifying and analyzing the main moisture transport pathwayscontribution proportions from various source regionsand further exploring their spatiotemporal variation characteristics and relationships with major large-scale circulation systems. Results indicate that the main moisture transport channels affecting precipitation in the TRSR during rainy season can be summarized as two typesone enters from the west or north along the mid-latitude Westerlycharacterized by numerous air parcels at higher altitudes but with relatively lower moisture contentthe other enters from the south or east along the Asian monsoonal‐ though the quantity is relatively smallthe routes pass through marine areas with low altitudes and rich moisture content. Moisture sources diagnostics using the Water Sip method reveal that the rainy season moisture sources for the TRSR exhibit a distribution pattern radiating outward from the QTPwith the most prominent expansion towards the South Asian monsoon region. The internal moisture cycle of the QTP plays a dominant role in precipitation in the TRSR during the rainy seasoncontributing 66. 3% of the moisture. The South Asian monsoon region ranks secondcontributing 18. 87% of moisturewhile the Westerly region and East Asian monsoon region contribute relatively lessat 7. 00% and 3. 08% respectively. From a spatiotemporal perspectivemoisture sources during the rainy season in the TRSR showed an overall increasing trend from 1980 to 2017with the most significant increases from the QTP and the southern of the Himalayasexceeding 4 mm·10a-1. This trend is closely related to the strengthening of the South Asian monsoon and plateau monsoonwhich enhanced moisture trans‐ port capacity from the South Asian monsoon regionthe interior and surrounding areas of the QTP. The moisture contribution from the western QTP to Central Asia showed a declining trendmainly affected by the southward shift and weakening intensity of the Central Asian Westerly. Meanwhilethe trend in the intensity and position of the East Asian monsoon were not significantresulting in a relatively weak effect on moisture transport to the TRSR during the rainy season.

Cite this article

CHEN Run, MENG Xianhong, YANG Xianyu . Interannual Variation of Moisture Sources in the Three-River Source Region During Rainy Season and Influencing Factors[J]. Plateau Meteorology, 0 : 1 . DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-0534.2025.00057

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