TY - JOUR
T1 - Local cooling and drying induced by Himalayan glaciers under global warming
AU - Salerno, Franco
AU - Guyennon, Nicolas
AU - Yang, Kun
AU - Shaw, Thomas E.
AU - Lin, Changgui
AU - Colombo, Nicola
AU - Romano, Emanuele
AU - Gruber, Stephan
AU - Bolch, Tobias
AU - Alessandri, Andrea
AU - Cristofanelli, Paolo
AU - Putero, Davide
AU - Diolaiuti, Guglielmina
AU - Tartari, Gianni
AU - Verza, Gianpietro
AU - Thakuri, Sudeep
AU - Balsamo, Gianpaolo
AU - Miles, Evan S.
AU - Pellicciotti, Francesca
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Understanding the response of Himalayan glaciers to global warming is vital because of their role as a water source for the Asian subcontinent. However, great uncertainties still exist on the climate drivers of past and present glacier changes across scales. Here, we analyse continuous hourly climate station data from a glacierized elevation (Pyramid station, Mount Everest) since 1994 together with other ground observations and climate reanalysis. We show that a decrease in maximum air temperature and precipitation occurred during the last three decades at Pyramid in response to global warming. Reanalysis data suggest a broader occurrence of this effect in the glacierized areas of the Himalaya. We hypothesize that the counterintuitive cooling is caused by enhanced sensible heat exchange and the associated increase in glacier katabatic wind, which draws cool air downward from higher elevations. The stronger katabatic winds have also lowered the elevation of local wind convergence, thereby diminishing precipitation in glacial areas and negatively affecting glacier mass balance. This local cooling may have partially preserved glaciers from melting and could help protect the periglacial environment.
AB - Understanding the response of Himalayan glaciers to global warming is vital because of their role as a water source for the Asian subcontinent. However, great uncertainties still exist on the climate drivers of past and present glacier changes across scales. Here, we analyse continuous hourly climate station data from a glacierized elevation (Pyramid station, Mount Everest) since 1994 together with other ground observations and climate reanalysis. We show that a decrease in maximum air temperature and precipitation occurred during the last three decades at Pyramid in response to global warming. Reanalysis data suggest a broader occurrence of this effect in the glacierized areas of the Himalaya. We hypothesize that the counterintuitive cooling is caused by enhanced sensible heat exchange and the associated increase in glacier katabatic wind, which draws cool air downward from higher elevations. The stronger katabatic winds have also lowered the elevation of local wind convergence, thereby diminishing precipitation in glacial areas and negatively affecting glacier mass balance. This local cooling may have partially preserved glaciers from melting and could help protect the periglacial environment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178486266&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41561-023-01331-y
DO - 10.1038/s41561-023-01331-y
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85178486266
SN - 1752-0894
VL - 16
SP - 1120
EP - 1127
JO - Nature Geoscience
JF - Nature Geoscience
IS - 12
ER -