The impact of warming Tibetan Plateau on the 2020 summer unprecedented Northeastern Pacific Marine heatwave
Abstract An unprecedented marine heatwave (MHW) struck the extratropical Northeastern Pacific during the summer of 2020. This study reveals that this event is characterized by a persistent atmospheric high-pressure anomaly in the MHW region, which leads to a decreased cloud cover, an increased surfa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-00979-0 |
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| author | Xuefeng Han Ping Zhao Jiaxin Ye Jiao Li |
| author_facet | Xuefeng Han Ping Zhao Jiaxin Ye Jiao Li |
| author_sort | Xuefeng Han |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract An unprecedented marine heatwave (MHW) struck the extratropical Northeastern Pacific during the summer of 2020. This study reveals that this event is characterized by a persistent atmospheric high-pressure anomaly in the MHW region, which leads to a decreased cloud cover, an increased surface shortwave radiation (SWR), a decreased mixed-layer depth, and an increased sea surface temperature (SST). The local net surface heat flux anomaly associated with the increased SWR primarily drives the increased SST, while the oceanic processes likely play a minor role. Both observations and simulations further demonstrate that the SST and high-pressure anomaly are closely associated with a large-scale wave train over the extratropical sector from Asia to the North Pacific which can be forced by the Tibetan Plateau heating change. According to our findings, the projection of a persistent warming Tibetan Plateau heightens the risk of escalating MHW events in the Northeastern Pacific under future scenarios. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-66535c96fb9f44bea4c080b2336ce363 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2397-3722 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-66535c96fb9f44bea4c080b2336ce3632025-08-20T03:01:37ZengNature Portfolionpj Climate and Atmospheric Science2397-37222025-03-01811910.1038/s41612-025-00979-0The impact of warming Tibetan Plateau on the 2020 summer unprecedented Northeastern Pacific Marine heatwaveXuefeng Han0Ping Zhao1Jiaxin Ye2Jiao Li3State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather & Institute of Tibetan Plateau Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather & Institute of Tibetan Plateau Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather & Institute of Tibetan Plateau Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesState Key Laboratory of Severe Weather & Institute of Tibetan Plateau Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Meteorological SciencesAbstract An unprecedented marine heatwave (MHW) struck the extratropical Northeastern Pacific during the summer of 2020. This study reveals that this event is characterized by a persistent atmospheric high-pressure anomaly in the MHW region, which leads to a decreased cloud cover, an increased surface shortwave radiation (SWR), a decreased mixed-layer depth, and an increased sea surface temperature (SST). The local net surface heat flux anomaly associated with the increased SWR primarily drives the increased SST, while the oceanic processes likely play a minor role. Both observations and simulations further demonstrate that the SST and high-pressure anomaly are closely associated with a large-scale wave train over the extratropical sector from Asia to the North Pacific which can be forced by the Tibetan Plateau heating change. According to our findings, the projection of a persistent warming Tibetan Plateau heightens the risk of escalating MHW events in the Northeastern Pacific under future scenarios.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-00979-0 |
| spellingShingle | Xuefeng Han Ping Zhao Jiaxin Ye Jiao Li The impact of warming Tibetan Plateau on the 2020 summer unprecedented Northeastern Pacific Marine heatwave npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| title | The impact of warming Tibetan Plateau on the 2020 summer unprecedented Northeastern Pacific Marine heatwave |
| title_full | The impact of warming Tibetan Plateau on the 2020 summer unprecedented Northeastern Pacific Marine heatwave |
| title_fullStr | The impact of warming Tibetan Plateau on the 2020 summer unprecedented Northeastern Pacific Marine heatwave |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of warming Tibetan Plateau on the 2020 summer unprecedented Northeastern Pacific Marine heatwave |
| title_short | The impact of warming Tibetan Plateau on the 2020 summer unprecedented Northeastern Pacific Marine heatwave |
| title_sort | impact of warming tibetan plateau on the 2020 summer unprecedented northeastern pacific marine heatwave |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-00979-0 |
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