Cenozoic evolution of spring persistent rainfall in East Asia and North America driven by paleogeography
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Spring persistent rainfall is a unique climate phenomenon that prevails in East Asia today, providing precious water resources to this densely populated region. However, its Cenozoic history and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we show that the spring persistent rainfall in East Asia has emerged since the Miocene, whereas it previously flourished in North America during the Eocene, as revealed by climate models integrated with climate proxies. The contrasting evolution of spring persistent rainfall in East Asia and North America is determined by paleogeography and further influenced by CO2-induced warming. The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the westward drift of the Rocky Mountains have triggered a mid-latitude Rossby wave train since the Miocene, altering the position and intensity of the subtropical highs and thus rainfall patterns. Our results illuminate the Cenozoic evolution of spring persistent rainfall, with implications for the spring climate under the extreme future warming. The emergence of the spring persistent rainfall in East Asia since the Miocene and its decline in North America was determined by paleogeographic events through mid-latitude Rossby wave trains, as revealed by climate models integrated with climate proxies.
Institutions: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Columbia University, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Lanzhou University, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,490
OpenAlex ID: W4408061397