Attribution of trends in meteorological drought during 1960–2016 over the Loess Plateau,China

This study uses two forms of the Palmer Drought Severity Index(PDSI), namely the PDSI_TH(potential evapotranspiration estimated-by the Thornthwaite equation) and the PDSI_PM(potential evapotranspiration estimated by the FAO Penman-Monteith equation), to characterize the meteorological drought trends during 1960–2016 in the Loess Plateau(LP) and its four subregions. By designing a series of numerical experiments, we mainly investigated various climatic factors' contributions to the drought trends at annual, summer, and autumn time scales. Overall, the drying trend in the PDSI_TH is much larger than that in the PDSI_PM. The former is more sensitive to air temperature than precipitation, while the latter is the most sensitive to precipitation among all meteorological factors. Increasing temperature results in a decreasing trend(drying) in the PDSI_TH, which is further aggravated by decreasing precipitation, jointly leading to a relatively severe drying trend. For the PDSI_PM that considers more comprehensive climatic factors, the drying trend is partly counteracted by the declining wind speed and solar radiation. Therefore, the PDSI_PM ultimately shows a much smaller drying trend in the past decades.     

Crop cover reconstruction and its effects on sediment retention in the Tibetan Plateau for 1900–2000

Geographically explicit historical land use and land cover datasets are increasingly required in studies of climatic and ecological effects of human activities. In this study, using historical population data as a proxy, the provincial cropland areas of Qinghai province and the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) for 1900, 1930, and 1950 were estimated. The cropland areas of Qinghai and the TAR for 1980 and 2000 were obtained from published statistical data with revisions. Using a land suitability for cultivation model, the provincial cropland areas for the 20th century were converted into crop cover datasets with a resolution of 1 × 1 km. Finally, changes of sediment retention due to crop cover change were assessed using the sediment delivery ratio module of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (In- VEST) model (version 3.3.1). There were two main results. (1) For 1950–1980 the fractional cropland area increased from 0.32% to 0.48% and land use clearly intensified in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), especially in the Yellow River–Huangshui River Valley (YHRV) and the midstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River and its two tributaries valley (YRTT). For other periods of the 20th century, stability was the main trend. (2) For 1950–1980, sediment export increased rapidly in the Minhe autonomous county of the YHRV, and in the Nianchu River and Lhasa River basins of the YRTT, which means that sediment retention clearly decreased in these regions over this period. The results of this assessment provide scientific support for conservation planning, development planning, or restoration activities.     

“Greatest lake period” and its palaeo-environment on the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau is the biggest lake distribution area in China, in which lake evolution is one of the important compositions for plateau environmental changes. It is also very significant in the study of regional environmental evolution. To answer the questions that how and when the paleo lakes evolved, the indicators and their dating data of the important events must be identified. As the key items for detecting the past environment, they are also the most concerned problems in geo-scien…     

Effects of freeze–thaw cycles on soil N_2O concentration and flux in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Nitrous oxide(N_2 O) is one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; freeze–thaw cycles(FTCs) might strongly influence the emission of soil N_2 O on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau(QTP). However, there is a lack of in situ research on the characteristics of soil N_2 O concentration and flux in response to variations in soil properties caused by FTCs.Here, we report the effect of FTC-induced changes in soil properties on the soil N_2 O concentration and flux in the permafrost region of the higher reaches of the Shule River Basin on the northeastern margin of the QTP. We measured chemical properties of the topsoil, activities of soil microorganisms, and air temperature(AT), as well as soil N_2 O concentration and flux, over an annual cycle from July 31, 2011, to July 30, 2012. The results showed that soil N_2 O concentration was significantly affected by soil temperature(ST), soil moisture(SM), soil salinity(SS), soil polyphenol oxidase(SPO), soil alkaline phosphatase(SAP), and soil culturable actinomycetes(SCA), ranked as SMSSSTSPOSAPSCA, whereas ST significantly increased soil N_2 O flux, compared with SS. Overall, our study indicated that the soil N_2 O concentration and flux in permafrost zone FTCs were strongly affected by soil properties, especially soil moisture, soil salinity, and soil temperature.     

The 4th International Symposium on the Tibetan Plateau in Lhasa, China

Organized and hosted by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, the 4th International Symposium on the Tibetan Plateau was held in Lhasa, China on August 4-7, 2004.The Symposium was undertaken by the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, the Bureau of Science and Technology under the Tibet Autonomous Region, China Society on the Tibetan Plateau, and the Institute of Plateau Meteorology. Academician Sun Honglie to…     

Cloudiness variations over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during 1971–2004

With Empirical Orthogonal Function （EOF） and trend analysis method adopted, the spatio-temporal variation of total cloud amount is analyzed for 75 stations on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the period 1971-2004. Analysis indicates that the total cloud amount decreases from the southeast to the northwest of the plateau, and that the annual and seasonal variations in total cloud amount both show an apparent declining tendency over the past decades. Correlation analysis demonstrates that the total cloud amount is negative with sunshine duration and diurnal temperature range （DTR）, and is positive with precipitation and the relative humidity, respectively. The negative correlation is consistent with the radiative effect of cloud, while the positive correlation between total cloud amount and precipitation is obscured because of the influence of topographic factors. Discussion implies that the decrease of total cloud amount is possibly due to the variation of atmospheric aerosol content and ozone concentration over the plateau, although it is difficult to quantify the driving force mechanism up to now.     

Mapping cropping intensity trends in China during 1982–2013

Long range continuous monitoring information of cropping intensity is useful for sustainable agricultural management but still limited. This study filled this information gap through delivering spatiotemporal continuous datasets of cropping intensity in China during the past 30 years. Cropping intensity data were derived by a wavelet features-based method based on the long-term weekly global EVI2 (Enhance Vegetation Index with two bands) at 0.05° spatial resolution (5 km) from 1982 to 1999 and 8-day composite 500 m Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance products from 2001 to 2013. The remote-sensing estimated images in 2013 agreed well with field survey data (overall accuracy = 91.63%) and the national agricultural census data (r² = 0.89). Results revealed that the cropping intensity remarkably increased during 1982–1999 but slightly declined during 2001–2013. The overall cropping intensity increased from 1.34 in the 1980s to 1.41 in the 1990s, and then dropped to an average of 1.36 after 2000. From 1982 to 1999, approximately 93,225 km² single-cropped areas changed to double-cropping, primarily those located in the North China plain. However, 39,883 km² double-cropped areas were turned back into single-cropping areas from 2001 to 2013, principally located in the North China plain, the Middle-lower Yangtze River plain, and the hill regions of the southern Yangtze River. This reverse trend of cropping intensity was due to combined effects from the corresponding reverse variations in agricultural population, increasing agricultural mechanical power, positive agricultural policy. The agricultural duty free policy has only immediate effects on stabilizing cropping intensity in croplands with more favorable biophysical conditions.     

Atmospheric insight to climatic signals of δ~(18)O in a Laohugou ice core in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau during 1960–2006

δ~(18)O variations;;ice core;;outgoing longwave radiation;;meridional wind;;northeastern Tibetan Plateau     

The effects of enclosures and land-use contracts on rangeland degradation on the Qinghai–Tibetan plateau

Rangeland degradation on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is a growing concern, often attributed to climate change and overgrazing. A minority of researchers have suggested instead that degradation may be caused by changes in land management, particularly enclosures and the contracting of long-term rangeland use rights to households. However, these claims have been hampered by a lack of empirical evidence. This field experiment is the first to compare rangeland conditions over time in the case of different management regimes on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, specifically single-household versus multi-household management. A survey of vegetation properties in Maqu County, Gansu province in 2009, and repeated in 2011, examined the differences between single- and multi-household management in terms of vegetation biomass, cover, and species richness. In 2009, the biomass of the sedge group under multi-household management was significantly higher than that under single-household management. In 2011, biomass, vegetation cover, and species richness were all significantly higher under multi-household management than single-household management. These data suggest the flaws of the tragedy of the commons assumptions underlying single-household management.     

Human’s digital footprints on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Variations during festivals and impacts on nature reserves

Mobile internet and wireless communication technologies have produced unprecedented location-aware data. Such big geospatial data can be used as a proxy measure of the ‘digital footprints' left by us on the planet and provide a valuable opportunity to understand the dynamic and short-term human disturbance on the nature at fine scales. This study investigated the spatiotemporal variations of human's digital footprints on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using smartphone-users-generated Tencent's location request data. The results showed that human's digital footprints cover less than 5% of Qinghai and Tibet, exhibiting either a U-shaped or an N-shaped temporal change pattern during the major festivals. Spatial changes of the digital footprints manifested a transition process from dispersion to concentration in Xining and Lhasa. Human disturbance assessment of seven large nature reserves on the plateau showed that the Qinghai Lake is the most disturbed one as shown by 14.6% of its area is stained with human digital footprints and the areal average of footprint intensity is 1.59, and the disturbance was significantly escalated during the National Day holiday. By contrast, the Qangtang and Hoh Xil are the least affected nature reserves with the two indices less than 1% and 0.1, respectively.     

Climatic trends over the Tibetan Plateau during 1971-2000

Trends of annual and monthly temperature, precipitation, potential evapotranspi-ration and aridity index were analyzed to understand climate change during the period 1971–2000 over the Tibetan Plateau which is one of the most special regions sensitive to global climate change. FAO56–Penmen–Monteith model was modified to calculate potential evapotranspiration which integrated many climatic elements including maximum and mini-mum temperatures, solar radiation, relative humidity and wind speed. Results indicate gen-erally warming trends of the annual averaged and monthly temperatures, increasing trends of precipitation except in April and September, decreasing trends of annual and monthly poten-tial evapotranspiration, and increasing aridity index except in September. It is not the isolated climatic elements that are important to moisture conditions, but their integrated and simulta-neous effect. Moreover, potential evapotranspiration often changes the effect of precipitation on moisture conditions. The climate trends suggest an important warm and humid tendency averaged over the southern plateau in annual period and in August. Moisture conditions would probably get drier at large area in the headwater region of the three rivers in annual average and months from April to November, and the northeast of the plateau from July to September. Complicated climatic trends over the Tibetan Plateau reveal that climatic factors have nonlinear relationships, and resulte in much uncertainty together with the scarcity of observation data. The results would enhance our understanding of the potential impact of climate change on environment in the Tibetan Plateau. Further research of the sensitivity and attribution of climate change to moisture conditions on the plateau is necessary.     

1960—2016年黄土高原干旱和热浪时空变化特征

基于1960—2016年黄土高原49个气象台站日最高气温和月降水数据,论文利用百分位高温阈值和标准化降水指标对黄土高原干旱和热浪时空变化特征进行了分析,识别并探讨了干旱和热浪同时发生事件的演变规律。结果表明：① 黄土高原热浪频次整体呈增加趋势,日高温热浪增加趋势最大,增速达到0.29次/a,1995年之后增加趋势更为明显,显著增加区域集中在山西东北部、青海省东部和甘肃中南部;② 1960—2016年黄土高原旱涝指数呈下降趋势,即表现为由涝转旱,20世纪90年代初为旱涝变化的转折点,年旱涝指数下降趋势显著区占整个研究区的62%,其中黄土高原沟壑区南部、陕北南部、山西南部、甘肃东部干旱趋势较为明显;③ 干旱和热浪同时发生事件总体呈现增加趋势,增速为0.66次/10 a,其中1960—1979年呈下降趋势,降速为-0.26次/a,1980—2002年呈增加趋势,2003年之后变化趋势较为平稳;空间上,山西东部、陕北南部和甘肃东南部发生频次较高,并且显著增加区主要位于山西东北部、甘肃中东部和宁夏北部。     

西藏高原不同时段雪灾的空间分布及大气环流特征

利用西藏高原38个气象站自建站以来至2008年的10月至翌年4月逐日积雪资料,依据积雪深度和积雪持续日数两项要素组合的雪灾等级指标,分析了前冬、隆冬和春季3个时段西藏高原不同等级雪灾空间分布。结果表明：主要有3个雪灾发生高频中心区,即以聂拉木为中心的喜马拉雅山脉中段区、以嘉黎为中心的那曲地区中东部区及以错那为中心的喜马拉雅山脉东段区;在时段上雪灾主要出现在前冬和隆冬,春季最少,但在前冬和隆冬雪灾频率分布有较大的空间差异;喜马拉雅山脉中段区、阿里地区、那曲站以中灾和重灾为主。利用NCEP/NCAR再分析月平均高度场数据,对区域性雪灾异常年和无雪灾年进行了合成分析,结果表明:前冬和隆冬北半球500 hPa中高纬环流非常相似,自大西洋东海岸向东至西太平有显著的“+-+-”波列,而春季中高纬从欧洲西部为“-+-+-+”波列;3个时段欧洲大陆长波槽脊异常加强,经向环流发展;前冬和隆冬欧亚大陆高度距平场为西高东低,春季正好相反;雪灾年与无雪灾年极涡、乌拉尔山高压脊、贝加尔湖高压脊和北美大槽的强度、位置有较大的差异,而东亚大槽只是春季有所差别外其他时段不明显。     

西藏高原土壤可蚀性及其空间分布规律初步研究

采用数学模型和GIS分析相结合的方法，以西藏自治区土壤普查资料为数据源。计算出西藏高原各土种的土壤可蚀性K值。在此基础上，以县为单元并运用面积进行加权平均，获得该区的土壤可蚀性K值分布图。对高原特殊成土条件下可蚀性的研究与探索，有利于深入理解西藏高原的土壤侵蚀特点、规律及其成因，提高土壤侵蚀的预报精度。     

青藏高原近40年来的降水变化特征

利用我国青藏高原地区的1961-2000年56个气象站的逐月降水资料,通过计算降水量的距平百分率,分析了青藏高原自1961至2000年以来降水量变化的趋势和1961-2000年以来各季降水量变化趋势,发现:青藏高原近40年来降水量呈增加趋势,降水量的线性增长率约为1.12mm/a。再将高原划分为四个季节,分析了各季40年来的降水量的变化情况得出:春季降水量年际变化较大,秋季降水量变化不明显。夏季降水量值较大而降水变化幅度较小,冬季降水量变化则与夏季相反。通过将青藏高原分为南北两个地区,分析了两个区的年降水量和四个季节的降水量的变化得出:高原南区1961-2000年降水量呈增加的趋势,降水量的线增长率为1.97 mm/a,春季和冬季降水量年际变化较大,夏季降水量变化不明显,秋季降水量略有增加;北区年降水量和夏季的降水量变化较小,秋季降水量的年际变化较大,冬季降水量变化最大。对青藏高原的南北两区用Mann-Kendall方法进行突变分析,显示高原南区分别在1978年和1994年发生突变,北区没有发现突变。     

青藏高原近30年气候变化趋势

以1971~2000年青藏高原77个气象台站的观测数据 (最低、最高气温,日照时数,相对湿度,风速和降水量) 为基础,应用1998年FAO推荐的Penman-Monteith模型,并根据我国实际状况对其辐射项进行修正,模拟了青藏高原1971~2000年的最大可能蒸散,并由Vyshotskii模型转换为干燥度,力求说明近30年青藏高原的气候变化趋势,以及干湿状况的空间分布。应用线性回归法计算变化趋势,并用Mann-Kendall方法进行趋势检验。结果表明：青藏高原近30年气候变化的总体特征是气温呈上升趋势,降水呈增加趋势,最大可能蒸散呈降低趋势,大多数地区的干湿状况有由干向湿发展的趋势。气候因子与地表干湿状况间并不是线性关系,存在很大的不确定性。     

Biodiversity and conservation in the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau (Qinghai-Xizang Plateau) is a unique biogeographic region in the world, where various landscapes, altitudinal belts, alpine ecosystems, and endangered and endemic species have been developed. A total of 26 altitudinal belts, 28 spectra of altitudinal belts, 12,000 species of vascular plant, 5,000 species of epiphytes, 210 species of mammals, and 532 species of birds have been recorded. The plateau is also one of the centers of species formation and differentiation in the world. To protect the biodiversity of the plateau, about 80 nature reserves have been designated, of which 45 are national or provincial, covering about 22% of the plateau area. Most of the nature reserves are distributed in the southeastern plateau. Recently, the Chinese government has initiated the “Natural Forests Protection Project of China,” mainly in the upper reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers. “No logging” policies have been made and implemented for these areas.     

青藏高原的气候植被模型研究进展

气候植被研究是全球变化研究的重要内容, 而模型研究是气候植被研究的重要手段。青藏 高原以其特殊的自然环境特点, 形成了气候与植被独特的适应机制, 为许多通用气候植被模型所 不能反映, 加之所受到人类活动的干扰相对较少, 决定其为植被气候研究的重要实验场地。本文 回顾了气候植被模型发展的相关历程, 评述了每类模型的特点及其不足。从植被格局研究和植被 生产力研究两个方面, 对青藏高原的气候植被研究进行了总结和分析, 认为模型研究是气候植被 研究的重要手段, 而青藏高原的研究在这方面还比较落后, 同时对青藏高原气候植被模型研究中 存在的一些问题, 如数据精度、模型的适宜性和结果验证等进行了讨论。认为今后青藏高原气候 植被模型研究的重点应是进一步明晰气候植被的关键过程, 立足高原环境特点开发有高原特色 的气候植被模型。     

1981-2010 年气候变化对青藏高原实际蒸散的影响

基于1981-2010 年青藏高原80 个气象台站观测数据, 通过改进的LPJ 动态植被模型, 模拟并分析了青藏高原实际蒸散及其与降水的平衡关系(P-E) 的时空变化。研究结果表明, 在过去三十年来青藏高原气候呈现以变暖为主要特征的背景下, 降水量整体略有增加, 潜在蒸散呈减少趋势, 特别是2000 年以前减少趋势显著;青藏高原大部分地区实际蒸散呈增加趋势, P-E的变化趋势呈西北增加-东南减少的空间格局。大气水分蒸散发能力降低理论上会导致实际蒸散减少, 而青藏高原大部分地区实际蒸散增加, 主要影响因素是降水增加, 实际蒸散呈增加(减少) 趋势的区域中86% (73%) 的降水增加(减少)。     

Biodiversity and conservation in the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau (Qinghai-Xizang Plateau) is a unique biogeographic region in the world, where various landscapes, altitudinal belts, alpine ecosystems, and endangered and endemic species have been developed. A total of 26 altitudinal belts, 28 spectra of altitudinal belts, 12,000 species of vascular plant, 5,000 species of epiphytes, 210 species of mammals, and 532 species of birds have been recorded. The plateau is also one of the centers of species formation and differentiation in the world To protect the biodiversity of the plateau, about 80 nature reserves have been designated, of which 45 are national or provincial, covering about 22% of the plateau area. Most of the nature reserves are distributed in the southeastern plateau. Recently, the Chinese government has initiated the “Natural Forests Protection Project of China,” mainly in the upper reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers. “No logging” policies have been made and implemented for these areas.