Impact of future loss of glaciers on precipitation pattern: A case study from south-eastern Tibetan Plateau

Thousands of glaciers in the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau (SETP) are retreating rapidly, which would significantly change land surface properties and lead to intended climate consequences. Results of our study, backed by Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, suggest the glaciers loss could lead to reorganization of local convection. The glaciers could have inhibited the northward warmer Indian monsoon flow by the downward glacier wind. While, in the absence of glaciers, as the cooling effect of glacier disappears, the original glacier area becomes a heating source and the downhill glacial wind turns to uphill wind, which strengthens the transportation of warm moist air to the highlands, causing more than 20% precipitation in the high elevation area, in the SETP. We conclude that glacier loss, expected in the next decades, could substantially impact the precipitation pattern in the SETP, thus highlighting another mechanism by which human-caused climate change could change future water resource of the Brahmaputra River.