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Karakoram temperature and glacial melt driven by regional atmospheric circulation variability

Author

Listed:
  • Nathan Forsythe

    (Newcastle University, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences)

  • Hayley J. Fowler

    (Newcastle University, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences)

  • Xiao-Feng Li

    (Newcastle University, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences)

  • Stephen Blenkinsop

    (Newcastle University, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences)

  • David Pritchard

    (Newcastle University, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences)

Abstract

Identifying mechanisms driving spatially heterogeneous glacial mass-balance patterns in the Himalaya, including the ‘Karakoram anomaly’, is crucial for understanding regional water resource trajectories. Streamflows dependent on glacial meltwater are strongly positively correlated with Karakoram summer air temperatures, which show recent anomalous cooling. We explain these temperature and streamflow anomalies through a circulation system—the Karakoram vortex—identified using a regional circulation metric that quantifies the relative position and intensity of the westerly jet. Winter temperature responses to this metric are homogeneous across South Asia, but the Karakoram summer response diverges from the rest of the Himalaya. We show that this is due to seasonal contraction of the Karakoram vortex through its interaction with the South Asian monsoon. We conclude that interannual variability in the Karakoram vortex, quantified by our circulation metric, explains the variability in energy-constrained ablation manifested in river flows across the Himalaya, with important implications for Himalayan glaciers’ futures.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathan Forsythe & Hayley J. Fowler & Xiao-Feng Li & Stephen Blenkinsop & David Pritchard, 2017. "Karakoram temperature and glacial melt driven by regional atmospheric circulation variability," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 7(9), pages 664-670, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:7:y:2017:i:9:d:10.1038_nclimate3361
    DOI: 10.1038/nclimate3361
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhiwei Yong & Junnan Xiong & Zegen Wang & Weiming Cheng & Jiawei Yang & Quan Pang, 2021. "Relationship of extreme precipitation, surface air temperature, and dew point temperature across the Tibetan Plateau," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 1-22, March.

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