Drying in the low-latitude Atlantic Ocean contributed to terrestrial water storage depletion across Eurasia

Zexi Shen, Qiang Zhang (), Vijay P. Singh, Yadu Pokhrel, Jianping Li, Chong-Yu Xu and Wenhuan Wu
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Zexi Shen: Beijing Normal University
Qiang Zhang: Beijing Normal University
Vijay P. Singh: Texas A&M University
Yadu Pokhrel: Michigan State University
Jianping Li: Ocean University of China
Chong-Yu Xu: University of Oslo
Wenhuan Wu: Beijing Normal University

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29544-6

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