LANZHOU, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A new study by an international joint research team has provided new major scientific basis for enhancing prediction capabilities of polar sea-ice changes by systematically assessing the warming amplification effect of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
This new study is aimed at deepening the understanding of the influence scope of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau climate system, according to the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The joint study was conducted by researchers at the NIEER, in collaboration with researchers at multiple universities and research institutions in China and abroad.
The polar regions are projected to warm faster than the global average, known as polar amplification, which has been extensively investigated. Warming amplification is also projected at high altitudes, particularly over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the world's Third Pole. However, little is known about the influence of this plateau's amplification on the wider climate systems, including polar sea-ice.
This new study incorporates the remote linkage mechanisms among the three major cold sources -- the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Arctic, and the Antarctic -- under global warming into a unified framework. It proposes a new perspective of 'three-pole coupling,' according to the NIEER researcher Ji Zhenming.
The study results show that under the high-emission scenario, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau warming amplification contributes approximately 20 to 30 percent of Arctic sea-ice loss, as well as about 10 to 15 percent of Antarctic sea-ice loss.
Notably, the relative contribution of this plateau to sea-ice loss increases with rising global warming levels, meaning its importance will be even more pronounced in future climate conditions, showed the study.
Analysis showed that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's impact on Arctic sea ice is primarily achieved through enhanced atmospheric meridional heat transport.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau intensifies mid-to-high latitude temperature gradients, drives the jet stream northward, and strengthens eddy activities moving toward the poles. As a result, more heat and water vapor are delivered to the Arctic, promoting sea ice retreat, according to the study.
As for Antarctica, a two-stage ocean-atmosphere-coupled pathway is proposed. Firstly, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau enhances southward oceanic heat transport, warming sea surface temperatures in the mid-to-low latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. Subsequently, the sea surface temperature anomalies excite large-scale atmospheric circulation responses, forming pressure anomaly distributions favorable for Antarctic warming and sea-ice loss, ultimately leading the Antarctic sea-ice retreat.
The study results have been published online in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. ■
