SCIENCE@home

Anthropogenic sulfate aerosol pollution in South and East Asia induces increased summer precipitation over arid Central Asia

Xiaoning Xie,G. Myhre,D. Shindell,G. Faluvegi,T. Takemura,A. Voulgarakis,Zhengguo Shi,Xinzhou Li,Xiaoxun Xie,Heng Liu,Xiao-dong Liu,Yangang Liu

Published 2022 in Communications Earth & Environment

ABSTRACT

Precipitation has increased across the arid Central Asia region over recent decades. However, the underlying mechanisms of this trend are poorly understood. Here, we analyze multi-model simulations from the Precipitation Driver and Response Model Intercomparison Project (PDRMIP) to investigate potential drivers of the observed precipitation trend. We find that anthropogenic sulfate aerosols over remote polluted regions in South and East Asia lead to increased summer precipitation, especially convective and extreme precipitation, in arid Central Asia. Elevated concentrations of sulfate aerosols over remote polluted Asia cause an equatorward shift of the Asian Westerly Jet Stream through a fast response to cooling of the local atmosphere at mid-latitudes. This shift favours moisture supply from low-latitudes and moisture flux convergence over arid Central Asia, which is confirmed by a moisture budget analysis. High levels of absorbing black carbon lead to opposing changes in the Asian Westerly Jet Stream and reduced local precipitation, which can mask the impact of sulfate aerosols. This teleconnection between arid Central Asia precipitation and anthropogenic aerosols in remote Asian polluted regions highlights long-range impacts of anthropogenic aerosols on atmospheric circulations and the hydrological cycle. An equatorward shift in the Asian Westerly Jet Stream attributable to high levels of anthropogenic sulfate aerosol in South and East Asia favours the moisture supply from low-latitudes and moisture flux convergence over arid Central Asia, according to multi-model data analysis.

PUBLICATION RECORD

CITATION MAP

EXTRACTION MAP

CLAIMS

  • No claims are published for this paper.

CONCEPTS

  • No concepts are published for this paper.

REFERENCES

Showing 1-79 of 79 references · Page 1 of 1

CITED BY

Showing 1-19 of 19 citing papers · Page 1 of 1