The Thermal and Mechanical Effects of the Tibetan Plateau on Asian Monsoons

The Thermal and Mechanical Effects of the Tibetan Plateau on Asian Monsoons | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article The Thermal and Mechanical Effects of the Tibetan Plateau on Asian Monsoons Hyo-Seok Park, Hyein Jeong, Kyong-Hwan Seo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6081499/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau profoundly shapes the Asian summer monsoons1-5, with elevated temperatures over the Plateau widely recognized as a key driver6-9. However, its thermal effect is closely intertwined with the Plateau’s mechanical influence10-13, making their individual contributions difficult to disentangle. Here, we apply a novel atmospheric temperature nudging technique within an atmosphere–ocean coupled climate model to isolate these effects. Our simulations show that the Plateau’s thermal forcing is the primary driver of East Asian monsoon circulation and precipitation, while also contributing 40–50% to the strengthening of South Asian monsoon circulation. Meanwhile, the mechanical effect, strongest along the southeastern flank, generates a downstream low-pressure system and enhances southerly winds over the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea. Further simulations comparing coupled and uncoupled ocean–atmosphere interactions demonstrate that Tibetan Plateau-induced surface cooling in the Arabian Sea strengthens monsoonal southwesterlies by 2 m s⁻¹ and contributes to the eastward shift of South Asian summer monsoon precipitation. These findings reveal the distinct yet interconnected roles of thermal and mechanical forcing, as well as their interactions with sea surface temperatures, providing new insights into the fundamental mechanisms driving monsoon variability. Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Atmospheric science/Atmospheric dynamics Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Climate change/Climate and Earth system modelling Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Tibetmonsoonsuppv10c.pdf The Thermal and Mechanical Effects of the Tibetan Plateau on Asian Monsoons Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6081499","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":422534820,"identity":"d33e1567-5349-4545-9e0b-784e8998e4cb","order_by":0,"name":"Hyo-Seok Park","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAwUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAzB5QEIOTD0gQYuFMZhKIEFLRWIDiCZKizn/2YOfK85IpM8PO/wQaIudnG4DAS2WM/KSJc/ckMjdeDvNAKgl2djsACGH3eAxkGz4ANQyOwGk5UDiNoJazp8x/gnUkm44O/0DkVoO5JhJNtyQSJCXziHWlht5aZYNZyQMN0jnFBxIMCDGL+fPHr7ZcKxOXn52+uYPHyrs5AhqYWDggbkQTBJUjqRFvoEo1aNgFIyCUTASAQD+S0pj7ydsTwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2074-2656","institution":"Hanyang University ERICA","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hyo-Seok","middleName":"","lastName":"Park","suffix":""},{"id":422534821,"identity":"ea29c3db-332d-4f16-90af-e902aa604275","order_by":1,"name":"Hyein Jeong","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2235-7188","institution":"Hanyang University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hyein","middleName":"","lastName":"Jeong","suffix":""},{"id":422534822,"identity":"799b3aa8-d702-416a-95f4-9ad14ec3a248","order_by":2,"name":"Kyong-Hwan Seo","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6305-5488","institution":"Pusan National University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kyong-Hwan","middleName":"","lastName":"Seo","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-02-21 18:05:41","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6081499/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6081499/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":80650036,"identity":"8f9dc97e-473b-444d-a180-72bb96ae9221","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-15 14:39:48","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1163167,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"Tibetmonsoonmainv10d.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6081499/v1_covered_b51aa709-2520-4202-800b-eaafeaa065c8.pdf"},{"id":77657554,"identity":"602440d7-ccc3-4abd-93c6-c928b75d2c3f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-04 03:50:42","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":680629,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"The Thermal and Mechanical Effects of the Tibetan Plateau on Asian Monsoons","description":"","filename":"Tibetmonsoonsuppv10c.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6081499/v1/70f03c36d4d4188f12e0cb55.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"The Thermal and Mechanical Effects of the Tibetan Plateau on Asian Monsoons","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6081499/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6081499/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau profoundly shapes the Asian summer monsoons1-5, with elevated temperatures over the Plateau widely recognized as a key driver6-9. However, its thermal effect is closely intertwined with the Plateau’s mechanical influence10-13, making their individual contributions difficult to disentangle. Here, we apply a novel atmospheric temperature nudging technique within an atmosphere–ocean coupled climate model to isolate these effects. Our simulations show that the Plateau’s thermal forcing is the primary driver of East Asian monsoon circulation and precipitation, while also contributing 40–50% to the strengthening of South Asian monsoon circulation. Meanwhile, the mechanical effect, strongest along the southeastern flank, generates a downstream low-pressure system and enhances southerly winds over the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea. Further simulations comparing coupled and uncoupled ocean–atmosphere interactions demonstrate that Tibetan Plateau-induced surface cooling in the Arabian Sea strengthens monsoonal southwesterlies by 2 m s⁻¹ and contributes to the eastward shift of South Asian summer monsoon precipitation. These findings reveal the distinct yet interconnected roles of thermal and mechanical forcing, as well as their interactions with sea surface temperatures, providing new insights into the fundamental mechanisms driving monsoon variability.","manuscriptTitle":"The Thermal and Mechanical Effects of the Tibetan Plateau on Asian Monsoons","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-04 03:50:38","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6081499/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"258f9244-de78-47e1-b3ee-6db053fc5e6c","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 4th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":45042751,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Atmospheric science/Atmospheric dynamics"},{"id":45042752,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Climate change/Climate and Earth system modelling"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-10T21:10:25+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-04 03:50:38","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6081499","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6081499","identity":"rs-6081499","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}