Abstract
The mass balance of water storage on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a complex dynamic system that has responded to recent global warming due to the special regional characteristics and geographical environment on the TP. In this study, we present global positioning system (GPS), gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) and follow-on (FO) observations obtained during the 2002–2020 period to identify hydrological changes on the TP. The spatial long-term trends in the GRACE/GRACE-FO data show continuous glacier mass losses around the Himalayas and accumulated mass on the inner TP due to the increased water mass in lakes. The singular spectrum analysis (SSA) was applied for interpolation of the data gap with GRACE/GRACE-FO. We evaluated the correlation between the vertical displacements obtained from 214 continuous GPS stations and GRACE/GRACE-FO-modeled water mass loads and found a high correlation, with spatial variabilities associated with the seasonal terrestrial water storage (TWS) pattern. The common-mode component obtained from continuous GPS coordinates was decomposed using principal component analysis (PCA) and presented different periodic signals related to interannual fluctuations in hydrology and the dynamics of the inner Earth. Moreover, the various characteristics of precipitation and temperature revealed similar interannual fluctuations to those of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. We conclude that the GPS-inferred interannual fluctuations and the corresponding GRACE/GRACE-FO-modeled hydrological loads reflect climate responses. These findings shed light on the complex role of the spatiotemporal climate and water mass balance on the TP since the beginning of the 21st century.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilThe mass transformations that occur in the water cycle in the Tibetan Plateau (TP)occupy an important position in Earth’s dynamic and climate change systems [1]
We evaluated the spatiotemporal variations in terrestrial hydrological mass changes on the TP and its surroundings using global positioning system (GPS) and gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE)/GRACE follow-on (GFO) observations obtained from April 2002 to December 2020
The surface mass redistribution data constrained from GRACE/GRACE-FO observations provide critical information to better our understanding of the water cycle in the specified areas
Summary
Introduction published maps and institutional affilThe mass transformations that occur in the water cycle in the Tibetan Plateau (TP)occupy an important position in Earth’s dynamic and climate change systems [1]. Distributed glaciers and snow on the plateau are the main sources of water for more than one billion people in East Asia and its surroundings; this region is commonly known as the “Asian water tower” [6]. 50 years, with accelerated global climate warming, high-elevation areas and low-lying plains have experienced faster temperature increases than other regions [7]. Under this climate background, the melting of glaciers and water runoff in high mountain areas have accelerated, lakes have expanded significantly, and the water cycle system has shown iations
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