Identification and genotyping of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in wild Himalayan marmots (Marmota himalayana) and Alashan ground squirrels (Spermophilus alashanicus) in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau area (QTPA) of Gansu Province, China

Abstract. In this study, a parameterization methodology based on MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and in-situ data is proposed and tested for deriving the regional surface reflectance, surface temperature, net radiation flux, soil heat flux, sensible heat flux and latent heat flux over heterogeneous landscape. As a case study, the methodology was applied to the Tibetan Plateau area. Four images of MODIS data (30 January 2007, 15 April 2007, 1 August 2007 and 25 October 2007) were used in this study for the comparison among winter, spring, summer and autumn. The derived results were also validated by using the "ground truth" measured in the stations of the Tibetan Observation and Research Platform (TORP). The results show that the derived surface variables (surface reflectance and surface temperature) and surface heat fluxes (net radiation flux, soil heat flux, sensible heat flux and latent heat flux) in four different seasons over the Tibetan Plateau area are in good accordance with the land surface status. These parameters show a wide range due to the strong contrast of surface features over the Tibetan Plateau. Also, the estimated land surface variables and surface heat fluxes are in good agreement with the ground measurements, and all their absolute percent difference (APD) is less than 10 % in the validation sites. It is therefore concluded that the proposed methodology is successful for the retrieval of land surface variables and surface heat fluxes using the MODIS and in-situ data over the Tibetan Plateau area. The shortage and further improvement of the methodology were also discussed.

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Occurrence and risks of antibiotics in an urban river in northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-77152-5 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuzhu Kuang ◽

Xiaoyu Guo ◽

Jingrun Hu ◽

Si Li ◽

Ruijie Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

River Water ◽

Sewage Treatment ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽

Aquatic Organisms ◽

Urban River ◽

Resistance Evolution ◽

Northeastern Tibetan Plateau ◽

Plateau Area

AbstractThere is a dearth of information on the occurrence and risks of antibiotics in the urban rivers from plateau areas. This study investigated 83 antibiotics in water and sediments of an urban river and effluents of sewage treatment plants (E-STPs) in Xining, Qinghai (northeastern Tibetan Plateau). Fifty-three antibiotics were detected, and the concentrations of individual antibiotics varied in the range of undetected (ND)-552 ng/L in water, ND-164 ng/g in sediments, and ND-3821 ng/L in E-STPs. Seasonal differences of antibiotic concentrations were significant for water samples (p < 0.05) but insignificant for sediments (p > 0.05). In urban area, E-STP is the main source of antibiotics in the river, while runoff from manured cropland contributes partially to antibiotics in the river in the suburban area. The antibiotic compositions in water were different from those in sediments, but were similar to those in E-STPs. Notably, because of strong solar radiation and long sunshine hours in the plateau area, low levels of quinolones, which are sensitive to photolysis, were observed in river water. Moreover, norfloxacin and enrofloxacin, observed in urban river from other regions of China, were not detected in the Huangshui River water. The occurrence of ofloxacin, erythromycin, roxithromycin, clarithromycin, and trimethoprim in E-STPs may induce a possible risk to antibiotic resistance evolution. Trimethoprim, anhydroerythromycin, sulfamethoxazole, sulfapyridine, and clindamycin in river water could pose low to medium risks to aquatic organisms. Further investigation on the occurrence and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in the Huangshui River is urgently needed.

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Progress and Challenges in Studying Regional Permafrost in the Tibetan Plateau Using Satellite Remote Sensing and Models

Frontiers in Earth Science ◽

10.3389/feart.2020.560403 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Huiru Jiang ◽

Guanheng Zheng ◽

Yonghong Yi ◽

Deliang Chen ◽

Wenjiang Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Soil Moisture ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Satellite Remote Sensing ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Microwave Remote Sensing ◽

Local Scale ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Freeze Thaw ◽

Plateau Area

Recent climate change has induced widespread soil thawing and permafrost degradation in the Tibetan Plateau. Significant advances have been made in better characterizing Tibetan Plateau soil freeze/thaw dynamics, and their interaction with local-scale ecohydrological processes. However, factors such as sparse networks of in-situ sites and short observational period still limit our understanding of the Tibetan Plateau permafrost. Satellite-based optical and infrared remote sensing can provide information on land surface conditions at high spatial resolution, allowing for better representation of spatial heterogeneity in the Tibetan Plateau and further infer the related permafrost states. Being able to operate at “all-weather” conditions, microwave remote sensing has been widely used to retrieve surface soil moisture, freeze/thaw state, and surface deformation, that are critical to understand the Tibetan Plateau permafrost state and changes. However, coarse resolution (>10 km) of current passive microwave sensors can add large uncertainties to the above retrievals in the Tibetan Plateau area with high topographic relief. In addition, current microwave remote sensing methods are limited to detections in the upper soil layer within a few centimetres. On the other hand, algorithms that can link surface properties and soil freeze/thaw indices to permafrost properties at regional scale still need improvements. For example, most methods using InSAR (interferometric synthetic aperture radar) derived surface deformation to estimate active layer thickness either ignore the effects of vertical variability of soil water content and soil properties, or use site-specific soil moisture profiles. This can introduce non-negligible errors when upscaled to the broader Tibetan Plateau area. Integrating satellite remote sensing retrievals with process models will allow for more accurate representation of Tibetan Plateau permafrost conditions. However, such applications are still limiting due to a number of factors, including large uncertainties in current satellite products in the Tibetan Plateau area, and mismatch between model input data needs and information provided by current satellite sensors. Novel approaches to combine diverse datasets with models through model initialization, parameterization and data assimilation are needed to address the above challenges. Finally, we call for expansion of local-scale observational network, to obtain more information on deep soil temperature and moisture, soil organic carbon content, and ground ice content.

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Correction to: detection of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in the slaughterhouse, sewage and river waters of the Qinghai Tibetan plateau area (QTPA), China

Parasitology Research ◽

10.1007/s00436-019-06518-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 118 (12) ◽

pp. 3571-3571

Author(s):

Liqing Ma ◽

Xueyong Zhang ◽

Yingna Jian ◽

Xiuping Li ◽

Geping Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

River Waters ◽

Plateau Area

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A Historical Record of Trace Metal Deposition In Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau For The Last Two Centuries

10.21203/rs.3.rs-202374/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shanying Li ◽

Weiwei Sun ◽

Rong Chen ◽

Zhijie Zhang ◽

Dongliang Ning ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Trace Metal ◽

Ferrous Metal ◽

Historical Record ◽

Gansu Province ◽

Pollution History ◽

Lake Qinghai ◽

Long Term Trends

Abstract Owing to rapid socio-economic development in China, trace metal emissions have increased and lakes even in remote areas have experienced marked changes in the last century. However, there are limited studies revealing long-term trends, anthropogenic fluxes and spatial characteristics of trace metals in lakes. In this study, we present a geochemical record from Lake Qinghai in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and reconstruct trace metal pollution history during the last two centuries. The lacustrine sediment core was dated by 137Cs and 210Pb, and sediments deposited prior to the 1850s were selected as the pre-industrial background. Factor analysis and enrichment factor indicated Cr, Cu and Ni generally originated from natural sources, while Cd, Pb and Zn have been influenced by human contamination since the mid-1980s. The anthropogenic Cd mainly derived from non-ferrous metal smelting in Gansu Province, and fluxes to Lake Qinghai sharply increased after the mid-1980s. The timing is similar to other lake sediment records from China and corresponds well with rapid economic development in China. The spatial pattern of anthropogenic Cd fluxes to lakes is primarily attributed to regional industrial emission, phosphate fertilizers and manure applied in agriculture.

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