- Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China (xijz.17s@igsnrr.ac.cn)
Winter precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the European Alps exhibits pronounced interannual to decadal variability, yet the stability of their large-scale linkage and the associated dynamical and moisture-related processes remain incompletely understood. Using multiple observational datasets and ERA5 reanalysis for the period 1940–2018, this study examines the decadal evolution of the TP–Alps winter precipitation relationship and its connections with atmospheric circulation and moisture transport.
The results indicate that the relationship between winter precipitation over the two regions undergoes a marked decadal transition, with contrasting behavior before and after the late twentieth century. During the earlier period, precipitation variability over the TP and the Alps displays a coherent out-of-phase structure, whereas this relationship becomes substantially weaker in subsequent decades.
Further analyses suggest that these changes are associated with variability in large-scale climate modes linked to tropical sea surface temperature anomalies and midlatitude atmospheric circulation. Regression analyses of upper-tropospheric circulation reveal organized Rossby wave responses over Eurasia, while the corresponding wave activity flux pathways exhibit pronounced decadal dependence, indicating changes in the background circulation structure. Consistent with these circulation variations, regressions of whole-column integrated vapor transport (IVT) show notable decadal differences in the strength and pathways of moisture transport toward the TP and the Alps, with implications for regional moisture convergence.
Overall, this study highlights the importance of large-scale circulation variability and moisture transport in shaping the decadal evolution of winter precipitation linkages over Eurasia, providing a broader context for understanding long-term hydroclimate variability across distant mountainous regions.
How to cite: Qie, J. and Wang, Y.: Decadal changes in the teleconnection of winter precipitation across Eurasian mountainous regions, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-11470, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-11470, 2026.
