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Solar radiation‐topography interaction plays an important role in surface energy balance over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, the impacts of such interaction over the TP on climate locally and in the Asian regions remain unclear. This study uses the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) to evaluate the regional and teleconnected impacts of solar radiation‐topography interaction over the TP. Land‐atmosphere coupled experiments show that topography regulates the surface energy balance, snow processes, and surface climate over the TP across seasons. Accounting for solar radiation‐topography interaction improves E3SM simulation of surface climate. The winter cold bias in air temperature decreases from −4.57 to −3.79 K, and the wet bias in summer precipitation is mitigated in southern TP. The TP's solar radiation‐topography interaction further reduces the South and East Asian summer precipitation biases. Our results demonstrate the topographic roles in regional climate over the TP and highlight its teleconnected climate impacts. Plain Language Summary: The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is characterized by high elevation and complex topography. Interaction between solar radiation and the undulating topography has important impacts on the regional surface energy balance and hydrologic cycle. Here we use Earth System Model simulations to show the local and remote impacts of the TP's solar radiation‐topography interaction on the surface climate of the Asian regions. Such interaction overall increases the air temperature especially in winter over the TP and reduces the summer precipitation in southern TP. Teleconnectedly, the interaction further alters the precipitation patterns in South and East Asia, by altering the atmospheric circulation that influences moisture transport and clouds. Accounting for such interaction generally improves the model performance when benchmarked against observations. These findings underscore the important roles of the TP's solar radiation‐topography interaction in modulating the climate of the local and remote Asian regions. Key Points: Solar radiation‐topography interaction over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) increases annual average regional near‐surface air temperature by 0.26 KSolar radiation‐topography interaction over the TP also affects the precipitation patterns in South and East AsiaIncluding solar radiation‐topography interaction improves the simulation of surface climate over the TP and Asian regions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although some outcomes have been reported, our knowledge of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) climate and its prediction remains unclear due to land surface complexity and observational uncertainty. Here, long‐term observations and reanalysis data revealed a significant positive relationship between winter and the subsequent summer surface air temperatures (SATs) over the TP, in which we highlighted the role of the persistence of soil enthalpy (SE) process. The winter SE can memorize the winter SAT anomaly, and the signal decays with depth gradually, but the consistency with spring SE increases substantially. This persistence of the SE process facilitates the winter SAT signals to be preserved for months until summer, resulting in homogeneous SAT anomalies in summer. The atmospheric response to the SAT anomaly further demonstrates the significant effect of winter thermal conditions on the subsequent summer climate over the TP. Hence, this work brings a new perspective for understanding the TP climate. Plain Language Summary: As the powerful summertime heat source, TP has a significant impact on the climate both locally and in the surrounding areas. In this study, based on long‐term observation and reanalysis data sets, we found that the SAT anomaly during winter is positively related to the subsequent summer SAT variability over the TP. Importantly, we also demonstrate that the persistence of soil enthalpy can act as a bridge that links the winter and following summer SATs, and so retain the preceding winter SAT signal for months, and then release it during the following summer. Additionally, the atmospheric response to the TP SAT anomaly further indicates the winter heating effect on the subsequent summer climate. Consequently, this discovery provides a new perspective to understand the land‐atmosphere interaction in TP summer climate change. Key Points: This study observed a significant positive relationship between winter and the subsequent summer surface air temperature (SAT) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP)The persistence of soil enthalpy plays an important role as a bridge linking winter and the subsequent summer SATThe atmospheric response to SAT further validates the heating effect of winter on the subsequent summer climate over the TP [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the interannual variability of winter surface air temperature (SAT) over Asia and the surrounding oceans, the authors applied principal component analysis to normalized monthly SATs. The first mode represents the Asian north–south dipole pattern with a node over the Tibetan Plateau. This component has close relationships to the Arctic Oscillation and cold surge variability around Southeast Asia, showing decadal oscillation with signal changes in 1988 and 1997. The second mode is the inner-Asian mode with a center to the north of the Tibetan Plateau. This component connects to fluctuations of not only the western Siberian high but also the Icelandic low, which is associated with the pattern of the polar vortex over Eurasia. A recent warming trend and possible relationship to solar activity are also shown. The modes of Asian SAT variability associated with ENSO are extracted as the north–south dipole mode over the tropical western Pacific and Japan (the third mode) and Silk Road mode (the fourth mode). The two independent modes appear to be caused by different sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the western Pacific and Indian Ocean and their associated atmospheric Rossby wave responses: the atmospheric wave trains over both the north and south of the Tibetan Plateau in the third mode, and the atmospheric wave train that propagates toward the Silk Road via Greenland in the fourth mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]