Quick ice mass loss and abrupt retreat of the maritime glaciers in the Kangri Karpo Mountains,southeast Tibetan Plateau

The maritime glaciers are sensitive to climate change because of high annual precipitation and high air temperature in the region. A combined comprehensive study was carried out based on glacier mass balance observation, GPS-based glacier terminus position survey, glacier Ground Penetrating Radar, topography maps and RS satellite images in the Kangri Karpo Mountains, Southeast Tibet. The study revealed a strong ice mass loss and quick glacier retreat since the 1970s. Ata Glacier, one glacier from the south slope of the Kangri Karpo Mountains, has formed a 6-km-long terminal moraine zone at the end of the glacier since the 1970s, and the accelerating retreat is largely due to the strong glacier surface melting. Mass balance study on the other four glaciers on the northern side of the Kangri Karpo Mountains shows that they are in large negative mass balance and the glaciers had retreated 15--19 m from May 2006 to May 2007. The in-situ glacier observation also shows that the glacier retreat is more obvious in small glaciers. The enhanced ice mass deficit caused by climate warming and the ongoing extinction of many small glaciers in this region could seriously affect the water resources, environ- ments, local climate and regional sustainable development in the near future.     

青藏高原的自然环境特征

 本文基于1950年代至今青藏高原综合考察和研究成果,系统总结了青藏高原自然环境的主要特征。青藏高原是中国三大自然阶梯中最高一级,平均海拔超过4000 m,被称为“世界屋脊”。青藏高原土地辽阔,总面积约为250万km²,占中国陆地总面积的1/4。自新近纪以来强烈的隆升,使青藏高原自然环境明显区别于其他地区,形成了自己鲜明的特征,主要表现为海拔高、温度低、辐射强、河湖众多、冰川冻土广布、生物多样性丰富。青藏高原面积广大,高原内部的自然环境差异显著,并具有明显的区域分异特征,根据拟订的原则、方法和指标,青藏高原可划分为10个各具特色的自然区,包括：果洛那曲高原山地高寒灌丛草甸区、青南高原宽谷高寒草甸草原区、羌塘高原湖盆高寒草原区、昆仑高山高原高寒荒漠区、川西藏东高山峡谷针叶林区、青东祁连高山盆地针叶林草原区、藏南高山谷地灌丛草原区、柴达木盆地荒漠区、昆仑山北翼山地荒漠区、阿里山地荒漠区。     

青藏高原及周边地区云气候特征

利用25年(1983.7—2008.6)的ISCCP D2云气候资料,统计分析了青藏高原及其周边地区总云量时空分布特征,并根据高原地形特征、大气环流形势等作出了合理解释。     

夏季青藏高原潜热分布及其廓线特征

利用热带测雨卫星(tropical rainfall measuring mission,TRMM)上微波成像仪(TRMM microwave image,TMI)的观测资料,首次借助卫星遥感对夏季青藏高原地区的潜热水平分布形式、潜热垂直结构及其变化特征进行了分析,并与周边地区进行了比较.潜热的水平分布形式与基于NCEP/NCAR降水资料的结果基本一致,显示了TMI反演资料在高原地区的可用性.研究结果初步揭示了夏季青藏高原上三个比较稳定的潜热加热中心,以及高原潜热廓线较为独特的单峰结构.特别在与周边区域的比较中发现,高原地区仅与印度次大陆潜热廓线的上层结构较为相似,而在6 km高度以上的对流层中高层,高原上整层的潜热加热均高于中国中东部大陆和西太平洋暖池地区,表现为显著的高空热源.     

Elemental composition of aerosols collected in the glacier area on Nyainqêntanglha Range, Tibetan Plateau, during summer monsoon season

In order to investigate the elemental composition in atmospheric aerosols and its sources in the glacier area over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), seven totally suspended particle samples were collected continuously at the col of the Zhadang glacier (30°28′N,90°39′E,5800 m a.s.l.), Nyainqêntanglha Range, southern TP, from June to October 2006. Twenty-seven elements (Li, Be, B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ga, As, Rb, Sr, Y, Cd, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb, Bi, Th, U) were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The result indicates that the concentrations of most elements (especially crustal elements) are lower than values at the Nam Co Station during the same period of 2005, and also much lower than other sites in the TP such as Wudaoliang and Waliguan. This suggests that elemental compositions of aerosols in the Zhadang glacier area may represent the background levels of the middle/upper troposphere over the TP. Crustal enrichment factors (EFs) reveal that several elements (e.g. B, Zn, As, Cd, Pb and Bi) may have anthropogenic sources. The southern TP is mainly influenced by the summer Indian monsoon during the sampling period. Backward air mass trajectory analysis suggests that air masses in the region may originate from South Asia. Therefore, anthropogenic pollutants from South Asia may be transported by the summer Indian monsoon to the region which clearly affects the atmospheric environment in the southern TP during the summer monsoon season.     

青藏高原隆升阶段性

 青藏高原的隆升不仅是印度板块与亚洲板块碰撞导致的地球内部岩石圈地球动力学作用过程的结果,并且对全球和亚洲气候变化、亚洲地貌和地表环境过程及大量地内和地表矿产资源的形成分布产生了深刻影响。因而研究高原隆升的历史不仅对解决上述重大科学问题提供重要途径,而且可为高原区域资源环境的开发和可持续发展提供理论依据。简要回顾和梳理了国内外近年来,围绕青藏高原隆升所取得的主要进展。研究表明新生代青藏高原经历了多阶段、多幕次、准同步异幅且高原南北后期加速隆升的演化过程。具体可划分为55~30、25~10及8~0 Ma 3个主要生长隆升期次。其中55~30 Ma的高原早期隆升,主要集中在高原中南部的拉萨地块和羌塘地块,并且可能隆升到接近3 km高度,或甚至更高,有人称之为“原西藏高原”,但其周缘存在准同步异幅的变形隆升响应;25~10 Ma的中期隆升,“原西藏高原”南北缘的喜马拉雅山和可可西里-昆仑山开始强烈隆升,“原西藏高原”率先隆升到目前高度并开始向东西两侧挤出物质、拉张形成南北向裂谷,高原北缘普遍产生广泛变形隆升但幅度有限;从约8 Ma开始的晚期隆升,高原南、北部边缘的喜马拉雅山和昆仑山-西秦岭以北的高原东北部隆升显著加速,经历一系列短暂快速的多幕次构造变形和生长隆升,最终形成现今高原面貌。     

Use of a multi-temporal grid method to analyze changes in glacier coverage in the Tibetan Plateau

This paper describes a multi-temporal grid method for quantifying changes in glacier coverage. A multi-temporal grid synthesizes spatial, attribute and process components of glacier information by sequentially combining spatial data from satellite images or maps. It enables us to identify glacier retreat and advance areas in individual grid cells for three or more periods of data sets. Discrepancies among the sequential data sets were detected graphically and numerically, including noise from geo-location error, misclassification, or different interpretation results in various pixel resolutions. Noise was detected and corrected to a large extent by visualization of the synthetic grid. The paper compares the results with that from a common method based on individual data sets, focusing on the Mt. Naimona'Nyi and Mt. Qomolangma regions at the northern slopes of the Himalayas. Results show that the identified noise (e.g. by 2.5 km2 in the Mt. Naimona'Nyi region) is much larger than measurement uncertainty calculated by sensor resolution and co-registration error (e.g. by 0.015 km2 in the Mt. Naimona'Nyi region). After noise removal, we notice that glacier recession clearly accelerates. The multi-temporal grid method results in a better quantification of glacier variation. It shows that glaciers in the Himalayas have both retreated and advanced during the last several decades, with retreat dominating and accelerating. Glaciers on the northern slope of Mt. Qomolangma in the middle Himalayas retreat more extensively and faster than those in the Mt. Naimona'Nyi region in the western Himalayas.     

青藏高原近地面层气象要素变化特征

利用第2次青藏高原气象科学实验(TIPEX)1998年5-7月改则、当雄和昌都3个大气边界层加强观测站获取的近地面层观测资料,分析了青藏高原西部、中部和东部地区近地面层风速、温度和湿度的日变化特征及其廓线规律,给出了青藏高原地区地表空气动力学参数和地表温度变化规律,讨论了高原近地面层湍流通量特征及逆湿现象。     

Quantitative analysis of lake area variations and the influence factors from 1971 to 2004 in the Nam Co basin of the Tibetan Plateau

By using remote sensing and GIS technologies, spatial analysis and statistic analysis, we calculated the water area and volume variations of the Nam Co Lake from 1971-2004, and discussed their influence factors from the viewpoints of climatic change and water balance. Data source in this study includes bathymetric data of the lake, aerial surveyed topographic maps of 1970, remote sensing images of 1991 and 2004 in the lake catchment, meteorological data from 17 stations within 1971-2004 in the adjacent area...     

A carbon－and oxygen－isotoperecord of recent environ－mental change from Qinghai Lake, NE Tibetan Plateau

A c. 300-year oxygen and carbon isotope record derived from fine-grained and ostracod carbonate from Qinghai Lake testifies to dramatic interannual to illterde-cadal linmologicai change. Fine-grained carbonates, whichare mainly authigenic, are likely to have formed in the epillmnion of the lake and their isotopic composition reflects the summer temperature and, more importantly, the isotopic composition of the near-surface waters, which is mainly afunction of evapor ative concentration. Ostracod shells aresecreted in the benthos of the lake, and their isotopic compo-sition reflects summer bottom-water conditions, together with fractionation effects, which may differ between species.Differences between contemporaneous values from authi-genic carbonates and ostracod shells may provide an indica-tion of stratification within the lake and variations in effec-tive precip itation over the northeast part of the Tibetan Pla-tcau over the past 300 years. A period of moderate evapora-tive concentration, from about 300 to 100 yr BP, was inter-rupted by a marked wet phase from-100 to 40 vr BP. which was in turn followed by a return to drier conditions in the most recent part of the record. The increase in δ^18O values in the latter part of the record accords well with instrumental records of lake-level lowering and salinity increase since about 1955 AD.     

青藏高原内部地震活动研究

文章对国际地震中心陨杂悦（International Seismological Centre）和美国地质调查所震中初定报告孕阅耘（The Preliminary Determination of Epicentres Bulletin）提供的地震数据资料,以及西藏大学地震台网收集的地震数据资料进行分析研究。结果显示,青藏高原属于地质构造与地震活动极为活跃的区域,自1900年以来曾发生过3780次以上地震;青藏高原内部的地震绝大部分都属于浅源地震（源深度小于50km）,以拉萨为中心的周边地区属浅源地震的高频率发震区。     

Mass exchange between stratosphere and trotosphere over the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings

Using NCEP dataset we calculate the exchange of mass across the thermal tropopause by the Wei's method from 1978 to 1997 over the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings. We also calculate the annual variation of aerosol and ozone of 100 hPa level with the monthly SAGE dataset from July 1988 to December 1993. Results indicate that ( i ) the mass from troposphere to stratosphere is magistral station in summer over the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings. The air transport reaches the summit in midsummer with two large value centers, which lie in the north of Bengal Bay and southeastern Tibetan Plateau, respectively. A large value center, which lies over the Tibetan Plateau, is smaller than that aforementioned. In winter, the mass transport is from stratosphere to troposphere, and reaches the minimum in January. ( ii ) As far as the 19-year mean cross-tropopause mass exchange from June to September is concerned, the net mass transport is 14.84x1018 kg from troposphere to stratosphere. So the area from the Tibetan Plateau to the Bengal Bay is a channel through which the mass of lower atmosphere layer gets into upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. (iii) The cross-tropopause mass may take the lower level aerosol to the tropopause. Then, the concentration of aerosol near the tropopause becomes larger, which may cause the content of ozone to reduce.     

青藏高原转经朝圣习俗的群体行为特征

很久以来青藏高原的民众便以转经的传统习俗建立既定模式下的社会关系和表达情感。转经习俗也藉由个体之间的群体性联合得到了极大的巩固。尽管从表象上看转经似乎侧重个体具有差异性的单独朝圣行为,但并不意味着转经群体是无序的集合,相反,借助宗教教义和人际纽带,转经大军在貌似纷乱之下井然有序。宗教与生俱来的整合功效不仅强化了群体中的个人行为模式,还重塑了转经人的某些心理状态。     

Thermal Stratification in Lake Zige Tangco, Central Tibetan Plateau

Lake Zige Tangco is an endorheic saline lake in central Tibetan Plateau. Investigations of 1998 and 1999 revealed that is was a typical stratified lake. The characteristics of thermal stratification of the lake have been extensively discussed from 4 aspects, i.e. thermocline, hydrochemistry and dissolved oxygen, stable isotope oxygen, and stability. The thermocline coupled with chemocline was further analyzed.     

A carbon- and oxygen-isotope record of recent environ- mental change from Qinghai Lake, NE Tibetan Plateau

An understanding of natural climatic variability is essential for evaluating anthropogenic impacts on recent and future climate[1—3]. Due to the lack of lengthy instrumental records, such an understanding must be gained from natural archives of climate change. Palaeolimnological indicators of past lake levels may provide a sensitive record of changes in effective precipitation in closed basins. This approach is particularly relevant on the Tibetan Plateau, where instrumental records are very…     

Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and environmental changes

Major progress, problems, and challenges of recent investigation of the Tibetan Plateau uplift processes and resulting environmental changes are reviewed and summarized briefly, which especially covers the National Tibetan Research Projects of the Chinese Eighth (1992-1996) and Ninth (1997-2001) "Five-Year Projects". The Tibetan Plateau uplift is a complicated multiple cyclic process. The Gangdise and Himalayas began to uplift in the Middle Eocene and Early Miocene respectively, while the main part of the Plateau merely underwent corresponding passive deformation and secular denudation, resulting in two planation surfaces. The third and also the strongest uplift involved the whole Plateau and its marginal mountains commenced at 3.6 Ma. Successive Kunlun-Huanghe movement at 1.1-0.6 Ma and Gonghe movement at 0.15 Ma raised the Plateau to its present height. The Asian monsoonal system and Asian natural environment formed in response to these tectonic uplifts.     

全球变暖背景下青藏高原多年冻土分布变化预测

根据青藏高原及周边地区温度数据和多年冻土分布, 模拟2099年青藏高原多年冻土面积与各类多年冻土分布的变化情况。结果显示: 青藏高原地区在年均温升高1.8ºC的情况下, 大片多年冻土在高原西北部收缩至76.6°E 以东, 岛状多年冻土在高原东南部大面积消融, 高山多年冻土在帕米尔高原、喜马拉雅山地区收缩明显, 多年冻土总面积是现代的83.4%; 在年均温升高4ºC的情况下, 大片多年冻土收缩至77.4°E以东, 岛状多年冻土中部小范围退缩, 高山多年冻土在祁连山地区消融明显, 仅在帕米尔高原、喜马拉雅山山脉、祁连山山脉、横断山脉等高海拔山地发育, 多年冻土总面积是现代的73%; 在年均温升高6ºC的情况下, 大片多年冻土收缩至78°E, 岛状多年冻土仅在中西部发育, 高山多年冻土在部分极高山地区零星发育, 多年冻土总面积是现代的50.8%。     

Extension of drylands in northern China around 250 kaBP linked with the uplift of the southeast margin of Tibetan Plateau

Study on two loess sections, one located at Wuwei near the Tengger Desert in northwestern China, another located near Ganzi at the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau in southwest China, reveals a coeval drying step occurred at ~250 kaBP. It is expressed by the increase in eolian grain-size at Wuwei, and by a drastic extension of C4 plants and a decrease of loess chemical weathering intensity at Ganzi. Examination of the available eolian data indicates that the event has also been clearly documented in the loess sections near the deserts in northern China, and in the eolian records from the North Pacific. On the contrary, the signal is rather weak for the central and southern Loess Plateau regions as well as for Central Asia, where the climates are influenced by the southeast Asian monsoon and the westerlies, respectively. Since the climate at Ganzi is under strong control of the southwest Asian monsoon, we interpret this drying ste p as a result of decreased influence of the southwest summer monsoon. This decre ase in monsoon moisture is attributable to the uplift of the Hengduan Mountains, the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau at～250 ka ago.     

青藏高原春季冷暖对我国东南地区春夏转换时期降水异常的影响

目的分析青藏高原主体部分(80°~100°E,27.5°~37.5°N)春季气温与中国东南地区春末夏初降水量变化的关系,为区域短期气候预测提供依据。方法运用滑动平均、距平、合成分析等方法分析了高原春季冷暖与中国东南地区春夏转换时期降水异常的相关性,进而讨论了与之相联系的大气环流特征。结果表明春季高原暖年中国东南地区晚春降水量偏多,初夏降水量偏少;春季高原冷年中国东南地区晚春降水量偏少,初夏降水量偏多。结论青藏高原春季持续偏冷或偏暖,春季对中国东南地区春夏转换时期降水异常带来明显影响。     

青藏高原地面抬升证据讨论

当前学术界在青藏高原地面何时达到现代高度问题上存在着许多不同观点,概括起来主要有３种：１４Ｍａ前已达到高于现代的最大高度,８Ｍａ前已达到或超过现代高度,距今３．４Ｍａ来分阶中强烈上升并逐步达到现代高度,之所以出现如此大的意见分歧,除高原面积广阔,研究程度不深和覆盖面不够的原因外,不同研究者所使用研究方法和证据的差异也是重要因素,在分析了各种证据对高原地面上升的记录机理后,我们认为夷平面、河流附地,