Anthropogenic Forcing Amplifies Concurrent Risk of Pluvial Pakistan–Hot Yangtze

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Authors: Xiao Li, Liping Zhang, Chen Hu, Gangsheng Wang, Lina Liu, Zhenyu Tang, Lixiang Zhao, Xiaodong Li, Jun Xia
Cited by: 1
References: 34

Abstract

Abstract During July–August 2022, Pakistan (PKT) experienced catastrophic flooding while the Yangtze River Basin (YRB) endured unprecedented heatwaves. While previous studies have examined the physical teleconnections, there remains a critical gap in quantifying the role of anthropogenic forcing in shaping such trans‐regional concurrent extremes. Here, we bridge this gap by combining probabilistic and storyline attribution frameworks to assess both historical and future risks of 2022‐like events. We find that the 2022 event represents a warming‐amplified analogue of the 2010 event, driven by a westward extension of the Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) and an eastward shift of the South Asian High (SAH). Moisture and heat budget diagnosis reveal that dynamically horizontal moisture transport dominated the 2022 PKT precipitation, while surface cloud‐radiative forcing drove the YRB heatwave. Using complex network analysis, we uncover intensified cross‐regional linkages under SSP2‐4.5, SSP3‐7.0, and SSP5‐8.5 scenarios. Crucially, our bivariate probabilistic attribution indicates that anthropogenic forcing accounts for nearly 100% of the likelihood of the 2022 event. Projections show that, by 2071–2100, the probability of such events could rise by 57–326 times, relative to a baseline probability of 0.0015 in historical simulations. Further, storyline attribution demonstrates that anthropogenic thermodynamics and circulation dynamics contributed approximately 60% and 40% to the 2022 event, with nearly half of the dynamic effect attributable to anthropogenic forcing. These results offer a quantitative perspective on the rising risk of concurrent Pluvial Pakistan–Hot Yangtze events under climate change, offering valuable insights for regional climate resilience and adaptation planning.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Climate variability and models Tropical and Extratropical Cyclones Research Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations

Publication details

Journal / source
Water Resources Research
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Volume
62
Issue
4
Publication date
1 April 2026
Language
EN