Southern Himalayas rainfall as a key driver of interannual variation of pre-monsoon aerosols over the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is highly climate-sensitive. Aerosols from adjacent regions peak during the pre-monsoon season and significantly impact the TP environment. This study reveals that pre-monsoon aerosol variability on the TP is more strongly influenced by Southern Himalayan rainfall than near-surface wind. Rainfall impacts fire events and biomass burning, and reduces aerosols through wet scavenging. The positive correlation between wind and aerosols previously reported is shown to result from negative correlations between wind and rainfall, and rainfall and fire events. Future projected increases in pre-monsoon rainfall in Southern TP regions may mitigate aerosol transport to the TP.

Weichen Liu, Chun Zhao, Mingyue Xu, Jiawang Feng, Qiuyan Du, Jun Gu, L. Ruby Leung, William K. M. Lau