Amplitude of climatic changes in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

On the basis of ice core and meteorological data from the Qinghai-Tibetan (Q-T) Plateau, this article focuses on the discussion of the problems related to the sensitivity of temporal and spatial changes of the climate in high-altitude regions, particularly in the Q-T Plateau. The features of abrupt climatic changes of the past 100 ka, 2 000 a and recent years indicate that the amplitude of these changes in the Q-T Plateau was obviously larger than that in low-altitude regions. The scope of temperature change above 6 000 m in the Q-T Plateau between glacial and interglacial stages could reach over 10°C, but only about 4°C in low-elevation regions close to sea level. During the last 2 000 a, the amplitude of temperature changes at Guliya (over 6 000 m a.s.l.) in the Q-T Plateau reached 7°C, in comparison with 2°C in eastern China at low altitude. In the present age, apparent differences of climatic warming have been observed in the Q-T Plateau, indicating that the warming in high-elevation regions is much higher than that in low-elevation regions. The temperature in over 3 500 m regions of the Q-T Plateau have been increasing at a rate of 0.25×10¹/a in recent 30 years, but almost no change has taken place in the regions below 500 m. Thus, we concluded that high-altitude regions are more sensitive to climatic changes than the low-altitude regions.     

Changes in annual accumulation retrieved from Geladaindong ice core and its relationship to atmospheric circulation over the Tibetan Plateau

Annual accumulation records covering 1935 to 2004 were reconstructed using Geladaindong ice core in the source of Yangtze River. A significant positive correlation between annual accumulation and precipitation from nearby meteorological stations was found, suggesting ice core accumulation could be taken as a precipitation proxy in the region. In the past 70 years, precipitation in the Geladaindong region was low from 1930s to early 1960s, and the lowest value occurred in the later 1950s. Since 1960s, precipitation increased dramatically and reached the maximum around 1980s, then decreased slightly in 1990s. By using Mann-Kendall rank statistical test method, a change point for precipitation was determined in 1967. Analysis of the atmospheric circulation over the Tibetan Plateau suggested that, compared with the southwest wind during the low precipitation period （before 1967）, it extended about 2 latitudes northward during high precipitation period （after 1967）. Moreover, during the high precipitation, the trough over the Bal Karshi Lake was also enhanced, and both the meridional wind and vapor transporting displayed a remarkable aggrandizement.     

青藏高原全新世气候变化研究进展

青藏高原是世界上最高、最年轻的高原，它对北半球的气候变化有重大影响。全新世是与人类进化、人类文明形成最密切的时期。分析、总结了青藏高原全新世的气候环境变化的研究成果，并对这些成果进行讨论。高原的全新世大暖期来临于10kaBP，鼎盛期为7—6kaBP，大暖期时，高原植被、森林扩大，泥炭发育，湖面上升，夏季风增强。大约在5kaBP，高原气候由暖湿向冷干转变。     

Events of abrupt change of Indian monsoon recorded in Dasuopu ice core from Himalayas

Three ice cores distributed across Dasuopu glacier in Himalayas were recovered. A 400-year net annual accumulation record reconstructed from one of the cores reflects the major precipitation trend in the central Himalayas. This record is related closely to the Indian monsoon precipitation. Wavelet and moving T-test were applied to the 400-year-long Dasuopu accumulation record, and significant staggered variability and abrupt change of the record on interannual to centennial time scales are identified. Finally the possible reason for abrupt change of the accumulation record is discussed.     

Accumulation in Dasuopu ice core in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and solar activity

The time series of accumulation in recent 300 years correlated well with solar activity in Dasuopu ice core. Results of spectrum analysis on the accumulation time series of the Dasuopu ice core shows that there are some periods that coincide with the periods of solar activity. By comparing the long-time change trend of the accumulation in the Dasuopu ice core with various kinds of indexes of solar activity intensity, a negative correlation is found between the trend and solar activity.     

Decrease trend of dust event frequency over the past 200 years recorded in the Malan ice core from the northern Tibetan Plateau

By analyses of the dust layers in the Malan ice core from the northern Tibetan Plateau, it was found that dirty ratio in this core might be a good proxy for dust event frequency. The variations in the dirty ratio displayed a decrease trend over the past 200 years, which implies that dust events became less frequent during the study period. The decrease trend in the variations in dust event frequency might be caused mostly by the natural processes, including increasing precipitation and weakening westerly which might be related with global warming. Furthermore, significant negative correlation was found between the dirty ratio and δ^18O in the Malan ice core. This is highly important for studying the effect of atmospheric dust on climate change.     

Formate and acetate records in the Muztagata ice core, Northwest Tibetan Plateau

Formic and acetic acids (HCOOH, CH3COOH), originating mainly from biosphere (release by plants, combustion of biomass, motor exhaust and oxidation of organism, etc.), are two simple organic chemical com- pounds in troposphere. Though the concentration of these two organic acids is low in atmosphere, they are the main [1] sources of free acidity in precipitation of remote regions , and contribute minor chemical constituents to the balance between anions and cations, especially to some atm…     

Diversity of 16S rDNA and environmental factor influencing microorganisms in Malan ice core

The research on extrempholic microorganisms in glacial low-temperature environment receives more attention than ever before. Due to the successive chronological records in ice core, it is important to initiate microbiological studies on ice core samples. 23 samples from one ice core,drilled from central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, were analyzed.The number of total microorganisms and culturable microorganisms in different layers showed that it related with the content of dust in ice. It is suggested that the distribution of microorganisms in ice depends on the transportation of materials during glacier development. The bacteria diversity in Malan Glacier was analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing methods, which showed that many sequences were similar to known psychrophilic bacteria.     

冻土退化过程中植被覆盖度的变化研究

在全球气候变暖的背景下,青藏高原的多年冻土出现了不断退化的现象.退化的多年冻土隔水作用减弱或消失,并导致依赖于冻结层上水的植被变化.在模拟高原多年冻土分布的基础上,分析了冻土的退化过程植被覆盖度的变化,结果表明,冻土的变化可分为3个阶段:冻土稳定段(80年代)、冻土快速退化段(90年代)和冻土缓慢退化段(最近十几年).同时,采用GIMMS(global inventory modeling and mapping studies)第3代NDVI数据(1982—2012年)分析青藏高原植被覆盖度的斜率变化特征,结果显示:在近31a来,青藏高原的植被覆盖度斜率整体上呈微弱增加趋势;植被覆盖在冻土退化的3个时段内的变化特征为:从20世纪80年代冻土相对稳定期到90年代的冻土退化期,比退化面积增大11%;近十几年来,冻土退化逐步减缓,植被退化的增幅减弱,面积比90年代增大了3%,但退化的区域更为集中.冻土退化与植被的变化机制复杂,本文的分析与发现对理解冻土对生态的影响有一定的意义.     

论青藏高原大气折射对地面精密测量的影响

首次提出了青藏高原大气折射对地面精密测量影响的特殊性问题，论述了开展高原大气折射研究的重要意义，分析了国内外研究现状，阐明了研究的目标和主要内容。     

1975-2008年青藏高原冬季气温变化

利用青藏高原及周边地区89个气象台站33年冬季月平均地表气温观测资料以及NECP/NCAR再分析资料,用统计学方法对该地区冬季气温变化作了分析研究,得到其整体变暖的变化趋势,该区域升温的线性趋势是0.6℃/10a。此外,由于高原台站分布不均匀,又分别从垂直方向和水平方向对高原冬季气温变化做了初步的分析。结果表明:青藏高原冬季气温整体变化趋势在增暖的同时个别区域也存在降温的趋势,600 hPa温度以及温度梯度随纬度增加而增加,而且随海拔高度的增高,增温趋势减小,到达一定海拔高度出现降温趋势,高原海拔高度较低的近地面层气温变化最明显。     

青藏高原盐类矿物研究进展

 青藏高原盐湖众多,盐类矿物种类丰富。从20世纪50年代国家组织各部门对青藏高原进行勘察和科考以来,在盐类矿物研究方面取得众多进展。目前青藏高原已发现盐类矿物53种,按照化学类型分为氯化物、硫酸盐、碳酸盐和硼酸盐,其中新矿物为5种,包括在青海大柴旦发现的章氏硼镁石、三方硼镁石和水碳硼石,居红土的祁连山石和西藏扎布耶盐湖的扎布耶石。近年来,对于盐类矿物的古气候意义研究逐渐增多,按照其形成和保存温度环境,可以分为冷相类、暖相类和广温相类,被誉为有根据的古气候“温度-湿度计” ;芒硝作为典型冷相矿物的代表,其稳定和不稳定芒硝层的古温度范围已确定;扎布耶石作为典型暖相矿物的代表,其形成和保存温度也已明确。利用矿物间的共生关系,可以反映湖区的古温度范围,在古气候研究中应用前景广阔。     

青藏高原钙华沉积属性特征及其地质意义

 钙华分为大气成因钙华和热成因钙华两类,不仅具有景观价值,而且具有重要的的科研价值。青藏高原广泛发育热成因钙华,主要形成于泉水和湖泊环境中。青藏高原钙华的形成主要与高原内部的热水活动有关,而热水活动则受控于印度大陆碰撞俯冲所引起的伸展作用和区域大断裂的走滑拉分作用。钙华不仅记录高原的古气候学信息,同时也是区内大多数盐湖矿床成矿过程记录者,但是已有的研究尚不足以充分解读这些信息。形成热成因钙华的CO₂一般来自地热过程或地壳深部,其成因机制因时因地而异,远比大气成因钙华更加复杂,并不是所有热成因钙华都记录有古气候信息,因此,只有在充分明确热成因钙华成因机制的基础上,方可重建其古气候和盐湖矿床学信息。     

Preliminary results of the study on wind erosion in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau using 137Cs technique

The worldwide fallout of caesium-137 (137Cs) associated with the nuclear weapon tests during the 1950s and 1960s has provided a valuable man-made tracer for studies of soil erosion and sediment delivery. But relatively few researchers have used it to estimate wind erosion. In this note, the 137Cs technique is introduced into the studies of wind erosion and its modern processes in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Two 137Cs reference inventories of 982.11 and 2 376.04 Bq·m-2 were established preminarily, distributed in the south and middle-north parts of the studied area respectively. By analyzing the patterns of 137Cs depth profiles from sampling sites, the aeolian processes of erosion and deposition in nearly 40 years have been revealed, i.e. the shrub coppice dunes (S1) and semi-fixed dunefields (S3) experienced the alternation of erosion and deposition, while the grasslands (S4, S6 and S7) and dry farmlands (S5) suffered erosion only. By using 137Cs model, the average wind erosion rates for shrub coppice dune (S1), semi-fixed dune fields (S3), dry farmlands (S5) and grasslands (S4, S6 and S7) were estimated to be 84.14, 69.43, 30.68 and 21.84 t·ha-1·a-1 respectively, averaging 47.59 t·ha-1·a-1 for the whole plateau, which can be regarded as of the medium erosion standard. These results derived from 137Cs for the first time have significant implications for the further research of wind erosion and desertification control in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.     

Evidence for cold events in the early Holocene from the Guliya ice core, Tibetan Plateau, China

Evidence for the “8.2 ka cold event” has been provided mostly from the circum-North Atlantic area. However, whether this cold event occurred in other places is a key to understanding its cause. Here, we provide the evidence for the “8.2 ka cold event” from the Guliya ice core in the northwest Tibetan Plateau, and it was found that the peak cooling (~8.3—8.2 ka) in this ice core was about 7.8—10℃, which was larger than the cooling in the North Atlantic region. The primary causes for this episode were diminished solar activity and weakened thermohaline circulation. Moreover, another weak cold event, centered about 9.4 ka, was also recorded in the Guliya ice core record. These two cold events were concurrent with the ice-rafting episodes in the North Atlantic during the early Holocene, which implies that the millennial-scale climatic cyclicity might exist in the Tibetan Plateau as well as in the North Atlantic.     

青藏高原的地质特征与形成演化

 青藏高原由于在全球所处的特殊地位,一直是各国科学家关注和竞争研究的热点地区,但仍有众多科学问题尚未达成一致。结合最新的研究进展,着重分析讨论青藏高原形成演化中的隆升过程及其地质学证据和动力学问题。青藏高原是一个独特的地质单元,有着条块相间的构造格局,地壳厚度巨大,其隆升已是不争的事实,在古生物学、沉积学、古地貌学、岩溶学和古地磁学等方面仍在积累大量证据,但对隆升过程的具体细节仍有不同认识。目前在探测地壳的精细结构方面取得了长足进展,对青藏高原下方俯冲的前沿位置、几何形态和运动方向等取得了相对统一的认识。     

青藏高原多年冻土区典型小流域径流水化学特征

基于2008年6月风火山小流域五个径流控制断面水样分析结果,综合运用描述性统计、相关性分析、Gibbs图和主成分分析方法,对主要可溶无机离子的质量浓度特征及其成因进行分析。结果表明:阳离子以Na~+,Ca~(2+)为主,阴离子以SO_4~(2-)为主,且各断面大部分离子质量浓度日变化特征为单峰型;浅层土壤中水分运移携带的离子质量浓度高,对河水总溶解性固体(TDS)含量贡献最大;岩石风化作用和蒸发浓缩作用对风火山小流域水化学变化起主要作用;研究流域蒸发盐岩风化作用最强烈,其次为碳酸盐岩的溶解;初步分析认为河水离子质量浓度较高的原因是受蒸发浓缩作用、土壤冻结融化作用和径流活跃期时间短等共同影响的结果。     

青藏高原盐湖微型和微微型真核浮游生物

 微型与微微型真核浮游生物通常是指粒径在0.2~20 μm之间的真核浮游生物。高原盐湖中微型与微微型真核生物具有丰富的遗传多样性,近年来对高原盐湖中微型与微微型真核生物的研究日渐增多。本文综述了国内外微型与微微型真核浮游生物主要类群的分类学和多样性研究进展,论述了青藏高原柴达木盆地盐湖微型与微微型真核浮游生物的群落结构、在不同盐湖中的分布差异及分子生物学研究方法自身的局限。最后对中国未来加强盐湖中微型与微微型真核浮游生物研究提出了4个建议：加强盐湖微型与微微型真核浮游生物遗传多样性研究,开展盐湖微型与微微型真核浮游生物的纯培养技术研究,充分挖掘盐湖微型与微微型真核浮游生物在生物进化研究中的潜力,以及推动盐湖微型与微微型真核浮游生物功能研究。