Abstract As the dominant atmospheric circulation pattern over the western Tibetan Plateau (TP), the Western Tibetan Vortex (WTV) exerts substantial control on springtime 2 m surface air temperature ( T 2m ). However, its underlying radiative processes remain unclear. This study integrates GEWEX satellite observations with ERA5 and MERRA‐2 reanalysis, applying surface energy balance diagnostics to quantify the WTV's radiative forcing on T 2m variability. We find the WTV explains ∼66% of T 2m variance ( R = 0.81) across the western TP and the adjacent Southwest Asia. Downward shortwave radiation (DSW) emerges as the primarily radiative factor modulated by the WTV via cloud radiative forcing (CRF) processes. Specifically, anticyclonic WTV events reduce cloudiness, generating positive CRF anomalies that enhancing surface DSW and cause warming. Conversely, cyclonic events increase cloudiness, producing negative CRF anomalies that diminish DSW and induce cooling. These findings advance understanding of the radiative processes by which the upper circulations modulate the surface climate over the TP.
Wāng et al. (2026) studied this question.