Zhang et al. (2025) Contrasting Effect of Spring Snowmelt on Early Summer Surface Air Temperature Over Western and Central Tibetan Plateau

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: International Journal of Climatology
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-11-18
• Authors: Taotao Zhang, Xiaoyi Wang, Haishan Chen
• DOI: 10.1002/joc.70193

Research Groups

Not available from the abstract.

Short Summary

This study investigates the causes of interannual variability in early summer surface air temperature (SAT) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), revealing an opposite effect of spring snowmelt on local SAT in western versus central TP due to distinct snow-atmosphere coupling mechanisms.

Objective

• To investigate the causes of interannual variability of surface air temperature (SAT) over the Tibetan Plateau, specifically focusing on the role of spring snowmelt.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional (Tibetan Plateau, western TP, central TP)
• Temporal Scale: Seasonal (spring, early summer: June and July) and interannual variability

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not explicitly mentioned in the abstract. The study describes "analyses," suggesting an observational or reanalysis-based approach.
• Data sources: Not explicitly mentioned (e.g., satellite, observation, reanalysis). The study analyzes variables such as spring snowmelt, snow cover, surface albedo, soil moisture, surface net shortwave radiation, and surface air temperature, which are typically derived from observational or reanalysis datasets.

Main Results

• Spring snowmelt exhibits an opposite effect on early summer SAT over western and central TP.
• Over the western TP, spring snowmelt is positively correlated with SAT in June and July. This is attributed to the snow-albedo effect: more spring snowmelt leads to reduced snow cover and surface albedo in June and July, increasing surface net shortwave radiation and enhancing energy transfer to the atmosphere, thereby raising SAT. Local soil moisture impact is minimal due to frozen soil.
• Over the central TP, a negative correlation is observed between spring snowmelt and June SAT. This is due to the delayed snow-hydrological effect: enhanced spring snowmelt increases soil moisture that persists until June, consuming more surface energy for evaporation and leading to lower SAT. This mechanism is favored by a relatively warmer background climate and earlier complete snowmelt.

Contributions

• Highlights the critical role of background climate in driving divergent snow-atmosphere coupling processes over the Tibetan Plateau.
• Provides a theoretical basis for improving predictions of summer SAT over the Tibetan Plateau.

Funding

Not available from the abstract.

Citation

@article{Zhang2025Contrasting,
  author = {Zhang, Taotao and Wang, Xiaoyi and Chen, Haishan},
  title = {Contrasting Effect of Spring Snowmelt on Early Summer Surface Air Temperature Over Western and Central Tibetan Plateau},
  journal = {International Journal of Climatology},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1002/joc.70193},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.70193}
}