Lakes’ state and abundance across the Tibetan Plateau

Understanding the changes in number and areal extent of lakes,as well as their abundance and size distribution is important for assessments of regional and global water resources,biogeochemical cycles,and changes in climate.In this study,changes in lake area greater than 1 km2are mapped using Landsat datasets,spanning the 1970s,1990,2000,and 2010.In addition,high-resolution images(GeoCover Landsat mosaic 2000,with a pixel size of 14.25 m)are used for the first time to map lakes as small as 0.001 km2across the entire Tibetan Plateau(TP).Results show that the numbers and areal extent of individual lakes[1 km2in size show a slight decrease between the 1970s and 1990,followed by a clear increase from 1990 to 2010.Ninety-nine new lakes are identified between the 1970s and 2010,71 of which are found between 1990 and 2010.This indicates the accelerated glacier melt and/or increased difference of precipitation minus evaporation since the 1990s.More than 80%of the lakes show an increase in their area between the 1970s and2010.The lake census,using 2000 imagery,shows that there are 32,843 lakes with a total area of 43,151.08±411.49 km2,which makes up 1.4%of the total area of the TP.Around 96%of all lakes are small,with an area\1 km2,while the 1,204 large lakes([1 km2)account for96%of the total lake area.The TP is subdivided into 12greater drainage basins,and of these the inner TP dominates in terms of the number of lakes(55.03%),the total area of lakes(66%),and lake density(0.026/km2compared to the mean,0.011/km2).A plot of lake abundance against size shows that the size distribution of lakes departs from a typical power-law distribution,but displays such a distribution at the mean elevation(4,715 m),with an r2value of 0.97 and a slope of-0.66.The slopes of the abundance-size equations from each of the 12 greater basins,and from all basins together,are larger than-1,supporting the inference that larger lakes,rather than the small lakes,contribute more to the total lake surface area across the TP.The lake inventory provided in this study,along with the assessment of lake size distribution,have important implications for estimates of water balance,for water resource management,and for lake area estimations in the TP.     

Classification of Tibetan lakes based on variations in seasonal lake water temperature

Widespread lakes on the Tibetan Plateau （TP） are valuable archives for investigating climate and environment changes, which could provide essential information on the mechanisms of past climate changes on the TP and their interaction with the global climate systems. However, there is a lack of in-depth investigation of modern limnological processes in the Tibetan lakes, which hampers the understanding of paleolimnological records and lake ecosystem succession. In this study, we performed continuous temperature monitoring at two lakes, Bangong Co, a freshwater lake in the western TP, and Dagze Co, a brackish lake in the central TP, in order to characterize the patterns of seasonal temperature variability, stratification, and mixing. Temperature data for an entire hydrological year demonstrate that Bangong Co is a dimictic lake and that Dagze Co is a meromictic lake. The higher salinity in the deep water at Dagze Co prevents the lake from overturning completely, and this finding is supported by simulations using a physical limnological model Lake Analyzer. Continuous lake water temperature monitoring provides fundamental data for classifying Tibetan lakes, as well as the hydrological basis for understanding their pa- leolimnological records and ecosystem succession.     

Monitoring lake changes of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau over the past30 years using satellite remote sensing data

During the years 2006–2009,lakes in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP)were investigated using satellite remote sensing strategies.We report the results of this investigation as well as follow-up research and expanded work.For the investigation,we mainly focused on lakes whose areas are more than 1 km2.The remote sensing data that we used included 408 scenes of CBERS CCD images and 5 scenes of Landsat ETM?images in Qinghai Province and Tibet Autonomous Region.All these data were acquired around years 2005–2006.Besides remote sensing images,we also collected 1,259 topographic maps.Numbers and areas of lakes were analyzed statistically,which were then compared with those coming from the first lake investigation(implemented between the1960s and 1980s).According to our investigation,up to and around year 2005–2006,the total number of lakes in the QTP was 1,055(222 in Qinghai and 833 in Tibet),accounting for more than 30%of that of China.Thirty newborn lakes with area[1 km2were found,and 5 dead lakes with initial area[1 km2were also found.Among those 13 big lakes([500 km2),Yamzhog Yumco had seriously shrunk,and it has continued to shrink in recent years;Qinghai Lake had shrunk during the period,but some new researches indicated that it has been expanding since the year 2004;Siling Co,Nam Co,and Chibuzhang Co had expanded in the period.We divided the newborn lakes into six categories according to their forming reasons,including river expansion,wetland conversion,etc.The changes of natural conditions led to the death of four lakes,and human exploitation was the main reason for the death of Dalianhai Lake in Qinghai.We picked out three regions which were sensitive to the change of climate and ecological environment:Nagqu Region,Kekexili Region,and the source area of the Yellow River(SAYR).Lakes in both Nagqu and Kekexili have been expanded;meanwhile,most lakes in the SAYR have obviously been shrunk.These regional patterns of lake changes were highly related to variations of temperature,glacier,precipitation,and evaporation.Our investigation and analysis will provide references for researches related to lake changes in the QTP and the response to climate fluctuations.     

Holocene lake deposits of Bosten Lake, southern Xinjiang, China

A 9.25-m-long sediment core from Bosten Lake,Xinjiang, provides detailed information about changes in the water budget and biological acticity over the last 8400 cal-endar years. The chronology is constructed from six AMS radiocarbon dates on the terrestrial plant remains. Based onanalyses of TOC, CO3, detrital compounds and biogenic SiO2,lake level fluctuations and periods of remarkably-negative water budget appeared at 8.4-8.2 cal ka, 7.38-7.25 cal ka,5.7-5.5 cal ka, 3.7-3.4 cal ka and 3.3-2.9 cal ka, respec-tively. As they are in-phase with low lake levels at Sumxl Co and Bangong Co in western Tibet Plateau and with paleo-lakes in Inner Mongolia, a climate-induced change to some-what drier and warmer conditions is inferred. A further drop in lake level after 1320 AD of about 200 yr duration may heattributed to a negative water balance prior to the main phase of the Little Ice Age. Deep and stable lake phases of 1500 yr and 1800 yr duration at 7.2-5.7 cal ka and 5.5-3.7cal ka coincide with maximum moisture during the Holocene Megathermai in China. The long term trend towards aridity since about 4.3 cal ka can dearly be recognised. The reduced water budget of Bosten Lake from 640-1200 AD may be attributed to local effects.     

Environmental changes and lake level fluctuation recorded by lakes on the plain in northern Xinjiang during the late Holocene

Xinjiang Autonomous Region is located in the arid area of westerly of China and there are many arguments about the changes of past temperature and moisture. Most of the lakes on the plain in northern Xinjiang are sealed lakes and terminal lakes. They can evidently reflect the changes in palaeoclimate. The palaeoenvironmental changes of some plain lakes in northern Xinjiang during the late Holocene will be analysed mainly based on the data of pollen, sedimentary facies, loss on ignition （LOI）, susceptibility and grain size from the Sichang Lake, Dongdaohaizi Lake and Aibi Lake. Results reveal an assembled pattern of temperature and moisture dominated by cold-wet and warm-dry. In addition, the impact factor will be discussed.     

Spatiotemporal variations of Chinese lakes and their driving mechanisms since the Last Glacial Maximum: A review and synthesis of lacustrine sediment archives

In this article,the author provides the first synthesis and classification of available environment-indicating proxies for lacustrine sediment.A review of spatio-temporal variations in lakes from the Tibetan Plateau,the dry areas of Northwestern China,the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the plains of Eastern China since the LGM is then provided.The driving mechanism for variations in lake processes and characteristics is also discussed based on various temporal scales.The author then proposes that future investigations be conducted to:(1) strengthen the study of theoretics and interpretation of environment-indicating proxies,(2) enhance the study of high-resolution time series and spatial variability of lake environment evolution,(3) provide more attention on the influence of human activities on lake environments,and(4) boost construction of the Quaternary lake database of China.     

Hydrodynamic process of Tibetan Plateau lake revealed by grain size: Case study of Pumayum Co

Under the background of global warming,some lakes on the Tibetan Plateau(TP) are potentially sensitive to temperature change.With a case study of Pumayum Co,where glacier meltwater is important to supply(we call this a glacier-fed lake hereafter),we analyze the sensitivity of lake sediment grain size to temperature change.This is done by resolving the modern hydrodynamic process,coupled with comparison of paleoclimatic proxies.According to the spatial distributions of parameters,percentage of grain size and the grain size frequency distribution curve,hydrodynamic processes are analyzed.Five clastic sedimentation types are thereby discriminated.In the open lake area,suspended load transport is the main transport agent.Grain Size Trend Analysis(GSTA),a sediment dynamics model,reveals a trend toward eastward transport.This indicates that the largest and glacier-fed river,the Jiaqu River,influences the entire lake(not just the subsurface alluvial fan),and that lake sediment grain size may serve as a temperature indicator.Time series comparison between grain size of a short core from the central lake and meteorological data confirms this temperature indication,which in turn shows reliability of the method discriminating the hydrodynamic process.This case study will improve the ability of paleoclimatic reconstruction using lake sediment in glacier-fed lakes on the Tibetan Plateau.     

Variations in air temperature during the last 100 years revealed by δ~(18)O in the Malanice core from the Tibetan Plateau

By comprehensive analyses,it was found that the variations in δ^18O recorded in Malan ice core from the Kekexili Region on the Tibetan Plateau could represent the changes in air temperature during the summer half year (from May to October) over the Kekexili Region and the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau.The general increase trend in δ^18O in the ice core during the past century indicated climate warming,and it was estimated that air temperature during the summer half-year rose about 1.2℃ over there then.However,this ice core record documented that the study area has been cooling while most of the world has been dramatically warming since the late 1970s. A tele-connection was found between the variations in δ^18O in the Malan ice core and the North Atlantic Oscillation.Moreover,the variations in δ^18O in this ice core were similar to that in the summer half-year air temperature over the southern Tibetan Plateau on the centurial time scale,but opposite on the multidecadal time scale.     

New evidence for effects of land cover in China on summer climate

The effects of land cover in different regions of China on summer climate are studied by lagged correlation analysis using NOAA/AVHRR normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data for the period of 1981-1994 and temperature,precipitation data of 160 meteorological stations in China,The results show that the correlation coeffi-cients between NDVI in previous season and summer precipitation are positive in most regions of China,and the lagged correlations show a significant difference between regions.The stronger correlations between NDVI in previous winter and precipitation in summer occur in Central Chian and the Tibetan Plateau,and the correlations between spring NDVI and summer precipitation in the eastern arid/semiarid region and the Tibetan Plateau are more significant .Vegetation changes have more sensitive feedback effects on climate in the three regions (eastern arid /semi-arid region,Central China and Tibetan Plateau),The lagged correlations between NDVI and precipitation suggest that,on interannual time scales,land cover affects summer precipitation to a certain extent,The correlations between NDVI in previous season and summer temperature show more comlex ,and the lagged responses of temperature to vegetation are weaker compared with precipitation .and they are possibly related to the global warming which partly cover up the correlations.     

High-altitude salt lake elevation changes and glacial ablation in Central Tibet, 2000-2010

This research quantifies lake level variations in the Siling Co, Co’e and Bangor Co salt lakes in Central Tibet from 1976 to 2010, and most notably for the 2000-2010 periods. In particular, the effects of different water replenishment modes on the lakes have been analyzed. Here we have provided new evidences for climate warming and accelerated glacial ablation on the Central Tibetan Plateau from 2000 to 2010. Based on fieldwork involving Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) surveying and Remote Sensing (RS) interpretations of the lake area, we have drawn the following conclusions. (1) From 1976 to 2010, the process of lake level variation in Siling Co can be divided into two stages. From 1976 to 2000, the lake level rose 4.3 m in a steady fashion (from 4530 to 4534.3 m); the rise rate was 0.18 m/a. From 2000 to 2010, the lake level rapidly rose 8.2 m (from 4534.3 to 4542.5 m), with a dramatically higher rise rate of 0.82 m/a. Compared with the rapidly increasing lake level of Siling Co from 2000 to 2010, the fluctuations observed at Co’e and Bangor Co were smooth and inconspicuous. (2) From 1976 to 2009, the lake area of Siling Co experienced a steady-rapid-steady expansion pattern. The lake area of Siling Co increased 656.64 km2 in the 34 years to 2010, a proportional growth of 39.4%. This was particularly significant in the 2000-2010 period, when the lake area of Siling Co increased by 549.77 km2, a proportional growth of 30.6%. (3) According to correlation analysis, the rise in regional temperatures, which has led to the ablation of glaciers, is the main reason for the rapid rise in Siling Co lake levels in the 10 years to 2010. During this period, Siling Co rose approximately 8 m as the direct result of glacial melting. An increase in precipitation in the Siling Co catchment area is the secondary factor. This contrasts with Bangor Co, where the dominant factor in lake level change is the long-term increase in precipitation; here, the increasing temperature is the secondary factor.     

A method for estimating the contribution of evaporative vapor from Nam Co to local atmospheric vapor based on stable isotopes of water bodies

During the summer monsoon season,the moisture of precipitation events in southern and central regions of the Tibetan Plateau is mainly moisture from the Indian Ocean transported by the Indian monsoon and terrestrial vapor derived from the surface of the Tibetan Plateau.However,the respective contributions of these two types of moisture are not clear.From June to September,the excess deuterium values of precipitation and river water in the Nam Co basin are higher than those for the southern Tibetan Plateau.This reflects the mixing of evaporation from Nam Co and local atmospheric vapor.On the basis of theory for estimating the contribution of evaporative vapor from surface water bodies to atmospheric vapor and relative stable isotopes in water bodies (precipitation,river water,atmospheric moisture and lake water),this study preliminarily estimates that the average contribution of evaporation from the Lake Nam Co to local atmospheric vapor has varied from 28.4% to 31.1% during the summer monsoon season in recent years.     

Effects of Land Use Change on the Ecosystem Services Value in the Dry-Hot Valley

The objective of the study reported here was to determine whether LANDSAT TM images could be used to quantify changes in land-use and ecosystem services in Yuanmou County. The sizes of six land use/land cover （LUCC） categories were estimated in Yuanmou County according to the LANDSAT TM images in the summer of 1986 and 2005. Coefficients published by Xie Gaodi and co-workers in 2003 were used to value changes in ecosystem services delivered by each land use/land cover category, and the ecosystem services sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the effect of manipulating these coefficients on the estimated values. The important results are summarized as followings. （1） The estimated size of cultivated land, pasture land, water area and unused land decreased by 6.39%, 1.35%, 2.25% and 10.67% respectively between 1986 and 2005. By contrast, the estimated size of forest land and construction land increased by about 2.23% and 71.15% respectively between 1986 and 2005. （2） The total ecosystem services value （EVS） of the study area increased from 2 142 132 609.46 yuan to 2 146 416 621.00 yuan, with the net increase of 4 284 011.54 yuan during the 20-year time period. （3） The coefficient sensitivity （CS） of the study are less than unity in all cases （CS 〈 1）. This indicates that the total ecosystem values estimated for the study area are relatively inelastic with respect to the ecosystem service coefficients. While this implies that our estimates are robust and the coefficient is reasonable, highly under or over valued coefficients can substantially affect the veracity of estimated changes in ecosystem service values overtime even when the CS are less than unity（CS 〈 1）.     

Dust storms and loess accumulation on the Tibetan Plateau：A case study of dust event on 4 March 2003 in Lhasa

Whether the Tibetan Plateau is a significant dust source area is of great importance, because this is related to the understanding of sources, accumulation and environmental effects of dusts on the Tibetan Plateau and inthe Far East-Pacific Ocean regions as well as to the evointion of coupling of the Tibetan Plateau and atmaspbere-oeean-continent exchange. Synoptic dynamics and remote sensing tracing of a dust storm on 3 to 5 March, 2003 in Lhasa onSouth Tibet demonstrate that the Tibetan Plateau possessesall factors and conditions of generating dust storms. Accompanied with this dust storm is a strong ascending stream onthe Plateau which has raised various sizes of durst particlesinto different levels. The lifted coarse particles were largelyfallen down and accumulated as loess on the eastern TibetanPlateau, and the fine particles were translated by the westerly jet and subsided in the northern Pacific Ocean. The spa-tial-temporal distribution of dust-storms between years 1961and 2000 ou the Plateau shows that duststorms mainly occurin winter and early spring with high frequency, and tile pathof dust storm moves gradually from south to north, which isclosely coupled with the northward moving of the westerlyjet from winter to spring over the Tibetan Plateau. Com-pared with other twelve dust source areas in China. the Ti-betan Plateau is one of the key dust souree areas for thelong-distance transport because its high occurring frequencyand elevation cause fine particles easily to be lifted into thezone of the westerly jet.     

High－resolution precipitation variations in the Northeast Tibetan Plateau over the last 800 years documented by sediment cores of Qinghai Lake

Short cores of about 80-cm retrieved from three main basins of th e deepwater areas in Qinghai Lake,the largest inland enclosed lake in China, were studied. Sta-ble isotopes of authigenlc carbonates, grain-size, carbonate and organic matter content at 5-year resolution are used to reconstruct the climatic history over the last 800 years in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Chronology was established according to 210^pb dating and 137^Cs methods and the core corrdation. It is found that cores from different deep basins of the lake can be well correlated. The sedimentary rate is highest in the western basin of the lake and lowest in the east.In the southern basin of the lake where the short core Qing-6is located, the recent average sedimentation rate is 0.1004cm/yr. Variations in effective precipitation recorded by the oxygen isotopes and grain size data durine the last 800 years are consistent with the glacial accumulation record form the Dunde and Guliya ice cores. A dry climate lasted for 300 years from 1200 AD to 1500 AD, followed by a wet period from 1500 to 1560 AD. The two dry periods, 1560 to 1650 AD and 1780 to 1850 AD, were the results of southwest monsoon weakening. The effective precipitation generally increased since 1650 AD due to the strengthening of the Asian South-west Monsoon, resulting in a wet period until the 1950s. Ex-cept the early stage, the Little Ice Age on the Plateau is characterized b y increased effective moisture. Organic mat-ter content, with nearly 200-year cycles, shows similar trend with the atmospheric delta earbon-14 before the 1850s, indi-eating that the bioproductivity responds to solar activity.     

Formation mechanisms of megadunes and lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert, Inner Mongolia

Field observations demonstrate that calc-sinters occurred in the lakes of Badain Jaran Desert. 87Sr/86Sr ratios,14C,δ 13C and mineral com-positions of calc-sinters,and 3He/4He,4He/20Ne,δ 18O,δ D,pH and TDS of water from springs and lakes are analyzed in detail. The results indicate that the lake water is supplied through deep fault zone. The “ker-nel” of stabilized dunes in the Badain Jaran Desert perhaps consists of calc-sinters and calcareous ce-mentation layers. Deep-seated groundwater effuses from this “kernel” and recharges to lakes in desert. Precipitation and snowmelt water from the Qing-hai-Tibet Plateau is fed into the Badain Jaran Desert,Gurinai,Wentougaole and Ejinqi areas through the Xigaze-Langshan Fault zone. The isotopic composi-tions of groundwater in the Alax Plateau are abnor-mal due to the strong evaporation of the Gyaring and Ngoring lake water in the headstream of the Yellow River. Groundwater dissolves dissoluble fractions of rocks during its transportation through the fault zone and flows out of the mouth of spring in the Badan Jaran Desert. The dissoluble fractions are finally de-veloped into calc-sinters and calcareous cementation layers around the spring. Calci-sinters are gradually largened and eventually emerge on the surface of lake water. Eolian sands accumulate on the surfaces of calc-sinters and calcareous cementation layers,and eventually develop into dunes. Invasion of magma causes an increase in the temperature of groundwater within the faults. Groundwater evapora-tion provides water vapor for the formation of humid stabilized dunes during its upwelling. Rhizoconcre-tions found in Yihejigede indicate that the dune was formed and remained immovable 4700 years ago. The height of the megadunes is proportional to thermal quantity carried by the groundwater.     

Indian monsoon influences altitude effect of δ~(18)O in precipitation/river water on the Tibetan Plateau

The δ^18O variation in precipitation acquired from 28 stations within the network of Tibetan Observation and Research Platform （TORP） is studied, with the focus on the altitude effect of δ^18O in river water during monsoon precipitation in an effort to understand the monsoon influence on isotopic composition in annual river water. It is found that δ^18O in precipitation on the Plateau is influenced by different moisture sources, with significant Indian monsoon influence on δ^18O composition in plateau precipitation and river water. The δ^18O of water bodies in the monsoon domain is generally more depleted than that in the westerly domain, suggesting gradual rainout of southwesterly borne marine moisture in the course of long-distance transportation and lifting over the Himalayas. The lapse rate of δ^18O in river water with altitude is the largest during monsoon precipitation, due to the increased temperature vertical gradient over the southern Plateau region controlled by monsoon circulation. The combination of δ^18O in river water in monsoon （wet） and non-monsoon （dry） seasons shows a larger lapse rate than that in non-monsoon （dry） season alone. As the altitude effect of δ^18O in precipitation and river water on the Tibetan Plateau results from the combined effect of monsoon moisture supply and westerly moisture supply, the δ^18O composition and its altitude effect on the Plateau during monsoon seasons should be considered in the reconstruction of paleoelevation of the Tibetan Plateau.     

Oxygen isotope variation in the water cycle of the Yamzho lake Basin in southern Tibetan Plateau

Given the potential use of stable isotope in the paleoclimate reconstruction from lacustrine records as well as in the local hydrology cycle, it is crucial to understand the processes of stable isotope evolution in catchment in the Tibetan Plateau region. Here we present a detailed study on the water oxygen isotope based on 2 years observation including precipitation, river water and lake water in the Yamzho Lake, south of the Tibetan Plateau. Temporal variation of local precipitation 5180 shows an apparent ＂monsoon cycle＂. In monsoon season, 5180 in waters is lower. In non-monsoon season, δ^18O in precipitation and lake water is higher and higher river δ^18O exists in spring, probably reflecting the effect of land surface evaporation, together with the higher δ^18O values in spring precipitation. It is also found that the surface lake water δ^18O varies seasonally and annually. The lower lake water δ^18O in the late summer is apparently related to the summer monsoon precipitation. The mean δ^18O value of lake water in 2007 is 1.2‰ higher than that in 2004, probably due to the less monsoon precipitation in summer of 2007, as can be confirmed from the precipitation data at the Langkazi meteorological data. It is also found that an obvious shift of vertical lake water δ^18O reflects the fast mixture of lake water. δ^18O values of lake water are over 10‰ higher than those of precipitation and river water in this region due to the evaporation fractionation. The modeled results show that the evaporation process of the lake water is sensitive to relative humidity, and the present lake water δ^18O reflects a relative humidity of 51% in the Yamzho Lake. It shows that the lake will take 30.5 years to reach present lake water δ^18O given a large shift in the input water δ^18O. The modeled results also reveal that surface lake water temperature and inflow δ^18O have slight effect on the isotopic balance process of lake water in the Yamzho Lake.     

Climatic significance of n-alkanes and their compound-specific δD values from lake surface sediments on the Southwestern Tibetan Plateau

The content and hydrogen isotope ratios of n-alkanes extracted from recent lake surface sediments sampled from nine lakes in three different climate zones on the Southwestern Tibetan Plateau were analyzed. Values were compared with n-alkanes in plants from lake drain- ages, and δD values of meteoric water, lake water, and mean annual precipitation. The results showed that n-C23 was predominantly derived from aquatic plants, and n-C27- n-C33 from terrestrial higher plants. The average carbon chain length of n-C27-n-C33 （ACL27-33） was positively correlated with the mean annual precipitation. δD values of the long-chain n-alkanes n-C29 and n-C31 of terrestrial origin （varying between -214‰ and -169 ‰, and-226 ‰ and -185 ‰, respectively） were inversely correlated with mean annual precipitation; but in accordance with the average annual variations in δD （OIPC）, δD values of n-C31 were strongly related to the δD values of growing season meteoric water （R2 = 0.74）. The large difference between δD values of n-C23 of aquatic origin and n-C31 （an average of about 27 ‰） demonstrates the enrichment of the lake water δD compared to precipitation, caused by strong evaporation in the semiarid-arid areas of the southwestern Tibetan Plateau. Average value of εn-c25- 31/p （-95 ‰） is evidently higher than the value observed in European wet regions （-128 ‰）; besides, εn-C31 （about -116 ‰） is constant along the study transect （SD = 9）, which indicates that n-C31 is a useful proxy for the environment.     

Territorial Features of Atmospheric Environment in Beijing and Impct of Dust-storm

The territorial features of the amospheric environment in Beijing were described in described in detail,and the transportation pathways of the atmosphere pollutants found by the dot aggregation in the form of the meshwork.The concept on convergence belt of the atmosphere pollutants was given.The vertical distribution of the atmospheric pollutants in Beijing was detected by the neighboring areas of Beijing.The sand-dust storm in China were studie by both satellite inspection technology and analysis of atmospheric flow fields,According tp tje dostrobitopms of sand-dust storm sources to impact on the air environment in China,the sand-dust sources insia were situatad in the desert and Gobi in the Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang autonomous regions .The sand-dust surces outside China were situated in the desert and Gohi in Russina,Hazakhsten and Mongolia.A very strong sand-dust storm taken place on the 20th Mar,2002 is given as exa-mple.     

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…