Drying in the low-latitude Atlantic Ocean contributed to terrestrial water storage depletion across Eurasia
Shen, Z.; Zhang, Q.; Singh, V.P.; Pokhrel, Y.; Li, J.; Xu, C.Y.; Wu, W. (2022). Drying in the low-latitude Atlantic Ocean contributed to terrestrial water storage depletion across Eurasia. Nature Comm. 13: 1849. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29544-6
In: Nature Communications. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 2041-1723; e-ISSN 2041-1723, more
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| Keywords |
Marine/Coastal; Terrestrial |
| Authors | | Top |
- Shen, Z.
- Zhang, Q.
- Singh, V.P.
- Pokhrel, Y.
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| Abstract |
Eurasia, home to ~70% of global population, is characterized by (semi-)arid climate. Water scarcity in the mid-latitude Eurasia (MLE) has been exacerbated by a consistent decline in terrestrial water storage (TWS), attributed primarily to human activities. However, the atmospheric mechanisms behind such TWS decline remain unclear. Here, we investigate teleconnections between drying in low-latitude North Atlantic Ocean (LNATO) and TWS depletions across MLE. We elucidate mechanistic linkages and detecte high correlations between decreased TWS in MLE and the decreased precipitation-minus-evapotranspiration (PME) in LNATO. TWS in MLE declines by ~257% during 2003-2017 due to northeastward propagation of PME deficit following two distinct seasonal landfalling routes during January-May and June-January. The same mechanism reduces TWS during 2031-2050 by ~107% and ~447% under scenarios SSP245 and SSP585, respectively. Our findings highlight the risk of increased future water scarcity across MLE caused by large-scale climatic drivers, compounding the impacts of human activities. |
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