意大利极地科学研究所 Salerno, Franco 和罗马国家研究委员会 Guyennon, Nicolas 的团队，在研究全球变暖下喜马拉雅冰川引起的局部降温和干燥中取得新进展。该研究成果于2023年12月4日发表于国际一流学术期刊《自然—地球科学》杂志上。
团队研究人员报道了自 1994 年以来冰川海拔高度(珠穆朗玛峰金字塔站)的连续逐时气候站数据，以及其他地面观测和气候再分析。研究发现，在过去的 30 年里，金字塔地区的最高气温和降水量都呈下降趋势，这是对全球变暖的响应。再分析数据表明，这种效应在喜马拉雅冰川覆盖地区更为普遍。
该团队研究人员假设，这种反直觉的冷却是由感热交换的增强和冰川下沉风的相关增加引起的，后者将冷空气从高海拔地区拉下来。较强的下沉也降低了局地风辐合的高度，从而减少了冰川地区的降水，对冰川物质平衡产生了负影响。这种局部的冷却可能部分地保护了冰川免于融化，并有助于保护冰川周围的环境。
据悉，了解喜马拉雅冰川对全球变暖的反应是至关重要的，因为它们是亚洲次大陆的水源。然而，人们对过去和现在冰川变化的气候驱动因素仍然知之甚少。
附：英文原文
Title: Local cooling and drying induced by Himalayan glaciers under global warming
Author: Salerno, Franco, Guyennon, Nicolas, Yang, Kun, Shaw, Thomas E., Lin, Changgui, Colombo, Nicola, Romano, Emanuele, Gruber, Stephan, Bolch, Tobias, Alessandri, Andrea, Cristofanelli, Paolo, Putero, Davide, Diolaiuti, Guglielmina, Tartari, Gianni, Verza, Gianpietro, Thakuri, Sudeep, Balsamo, Gianpaolo, Miles, Evan S., Pellicciotti, Francesca
Issue&Volume: 2023-12-04
Abstract: Understanding the response of Himalayan glaciers to global warming is vital because of their role as a water source for the Asian subcontinent. However, great uncertainties still exist on the climate drivers of past and present glacier changes across scales. Here, we analyse continuous hourly climate station data from a glacierized elevation (Pyramid station, Mount Everest) since 1994 together with other ground observations and climate reanalysis. We show that a decrease in maximum air temperature and precipitation occurred during the last three decades at Pyramid in response to global warming. Reanalysis data suggest a broader occurrence of this effect in the glacierized areas of the Himalaya. We hypothesize that the counterintuitive cooling is caused by enhanced sensible heat exchange and the associated increase in glacier katabatic wind, which draws cool air downward from higher elevations. The stronger katabatic winds have also lowered the elevation of local wind convergence, thereby diminishing precipitation in glacial areas and negatively affecting glacier mass balance. This local cooling may have partially preserved glaciers from melting and could help protect the periglacial environment.
DOI: 10.1038/s41561-023-01331-y
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-023-01331-y