Atlantic moisture transported by the westerlies drives the expansion of the Yili River watershed in the Tian Shan, central Asia

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The Tian Shan, a huge active mountain range in the central Asia, has been mainly shaped by the far field effects of the Cenozoic India-Eurasia collision and the moisture from the Atlantic Ocean transported by the westerlies. While the tectonic influence on the Tian Shan has been deeply studied, the impact of climate has received less attention. Recent studies have revealed that drainage-divide migration can last for tens of millions of years, influenced by tectonic and/or climatic disturbances. In this investigation, we use χ-plot method to measure the stability of the drainage divide at the central part of the Tian Shan. The results show that the watershed of the westward-flowing Yili River in the Tian Shan is expanding. Through the analysis of the geological uplift rate, GPS-derived uplift rate and precipitation data, we conclude that the expansion of the Yili River watershed is mainly driven by the higher precipitation in the river basin, affected by the westerlies and the west-opening horn shape of the river basin. The expansion of the Yili River watershed further enhance the fluvial incision in the river basin, which is conducive to the survival of the horn-shape lowlands inside the Tian Shan. This study reveals the significant influence of Atlantic moisture on the morphology of the Tian Shan. Moreover, we propose that the drainage evolutions driven by the long-standing westerlies have promoted, and continue to promote, biodiversity on Earth.