Weather
Why a wetter Tibetan Plateau still faces 'hot-dry' extremes: The roles of ENSO and the North Atlantic
Key Points
Since the 1950s, the Tibetan Plateau has experienced pronounced warming and wetting. However, an overall shift toward wetter conditions does not necessarily mean that drought risk has diminished. On the contrary, against the backdrop of continued warming, compound hot-dry events—characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of high temperatures and drought—have become an increasingly important climate risk across the plateau.
Since the 1950s, the Tibetan Plateau has experienced pronounced warming and wetting. However, an overall shift toward wetter conditions does not necessarily mean that drought risk has diminished. On the contrary, against the backdrop of continued warming, compound hot-dry events—characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of high temperatures and drought—have become an increasingly important climate risk across the plateau.