Atmospheric dynamic constraints on Tibetan Plateau freshwater under Paris climate targets

Rivers originating in the Tibetan Plateau provide freshwater to downstream populations, yet runoff projections from warming are unclear due to precipitation uncertainties. Here, we use a historical atmospheric circulation-precipitation relationship to constrain future modelled wet-season precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau. Our constraint reduces precipitation increases to half of those from the unconstrained ensemble and reduces spread by around a factor of three. This constrained precipitation is used with estimated glacier melt contributions to constrain future runoff for seven rivers. We estimate runoff increases of 1.0-7.2% at the end of the twenty-first century for global mean warming of 1.5-4 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. Because population projections diverge across basins, this runoff increase will reduce the population fraction living under water scarcity conditions in the Yangtze and Yellow basins but not in the Indus and Ganges basins, necessitating improved water security through climate change adaptation policies in these regions at higher risk.

Automated summary

By using historical atmospheric circulation-precipitation relationships to constrain future simulated wet-season precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau, the study shows that constrained precipitation reduces spread and increases to only half of those in the unconstrained ensemble. Projected runoff is estimated to increase by 1.0-7.2% at the end of the twenty-first century due to global warming, affecting populations differently across basins and necessitating improved water security through climate change adaptation policies.