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by Yaoming Ma (Guest Editor), Li Jia (Guest Editor), Massimo Menenti (Guest Editor)
As the world's highest and most expansive plateau, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is often hailed as the 'Asian Water Tower' and the 'Third Pole of the Earth'. Gaining a deeper insight into the water and energy cycles within the TP is crucial, not only for uncovering the dynamics of regional land-atmosphere interactions but also for evaluating the factors influencing alterations in the cryosphere and hydrosphere, in connection with atmospheric changes over the plateau within the Asian monsoon framework. Given that the TP is an ecologically delicate area that is highly responsive to climate variations, a systematic analysis of the land-atmosphere interactions here is instrumental in fostering a quantitative comprehension of climate change. This Special Issue showcases the latest progress in the quantitative analyses of the various factors related to land-atmosphere interactions, including surface heat fluxes, atmospheric boundary layer characteristics, soil moisture, precipitation, cloud, thunderstorm, radiation, and albedo over the Tibetan Plateau, along with their unique climate effects on surrounding regions. The selected contributions are both innovative and timely, enriching our understanding of land-atmosphere interactions propelled by global warming. We are confident that this compilation of research will serve as a valuable quantitative resource for enhancing the assessment and forecasting of land-atmosphere interactions in the 'Third Pole'.
