The uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: The driver behind the scene

During the summer months, the northern hemisphere is tilted to the sun, and the Tibetan plateau and the Indian subcontinent are subjected to the solar pull. It is apparent that the upward component where the Tibetan plateau is subjected to is larger than that of the Indian subcontinent. In contrast, the horizontal component of the solar pull to the Indian subcontinent is larger than that of the Tibetan plateau. Additionally, large masses decelerate more slowly than smaller masses. Collectively these forces propel the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau upward and northeastward.

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Drought evolution characteristics of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over the last 100 years based on SPEI

10.5194/nhess-2021-73 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shengzhen Wang ◽

Fenggui Liu ◽

Qiang Zhou ◽

Qiong Chen ◽

Baicheng Niu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Qaidam Basin ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Northwestern Part ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Southeastern Part ◽

Spatial And Temporal Distributions ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Main Period ◽

Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract. The standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) of the Tibetan Plateau was calculated using the CRU4.03 gridded dataset from 1901 to 2018 in this paper. Then, based on the SPEI data, drought on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was studied in terms of its spatial and temporal distributions and its changing characteristics over the last 100 years. The results revealed that the precipitation in the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been steadily rising over the last 100 years, in conjunction with only minor temperature shifts. In the northwestern part of the plateau, precipitation has decreased significantly, accompanied by a significant increase in temperature. The drought on the Tibetan Plateau showed a clear gradual increase in aridity from southeast to northwest over the last hundred years. The SPEI also showed distinct seasonal patterns, steadily increasing in spring and summer and decreasing significantly in autumn and winter. In addition, each season had its own spatial characteristics. The northeastern part of the plateau, except the Qaidam Basin, showed a significant aridity trend in all seasons. A wet trend prevailed in the southeastern and southern areas. Drought on the Tibetan Plateau exhibits apparent cyclical oscillations with a main period of 54 years and has different cyclical characteristics in different seasons.

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Extension of the Upper Yellow River into the Tibet Plateau: Review and New Data

Quaternary ◽

10.3390/quat4020014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 14

Author(s):

Zhengchen Li ◽

Xianyan Wang ◽

Jef Vandenberghe ◽

Huayu Lu

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Yellow River ◽

Google Earth ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

The Yellow River ◽

Published Data ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Large Lakes ◽

River Terraces ◽

The Tibet Plateau

The Wufo Basin at the margin of the northeastern Tibet Plateau connects the upstream reaches of the Yellow River with the lowland catchment downstream, and the fluvial terrace sequence in this basin provides crucial clues to understand the evolution history of the Yellow River drainage system in relation to the uplift and outgrowth of the Tibetan Plateau. Using field survey and analysis of Digital Elevation Model/Google Earth imagery, we found at least eight Yellow River terraces in this area. The overlying loess of the highest terrace was dated at 1.2 Ma based on paleomagnetic stratigraphy (two normal and two reversal polarities) and the loess-paleosol sequence (12 loess-paleosol cycles). This terrace shows the connections of drainage parts in and outside the Tibetan Plateau through its NE margin. In addition, we review the previously published data on the Yellow River terraces and ancient large lakes in the basins. Based on our new data and previous researches, we conclude that the modern Yellow River, with headwaters in the Tibet Plateau and debouching in the Bohai Sea, should date from at least 1.2 Ma. Ancient large lakes (such as the Hetao and Sanmen Lakes) developed as exorheic systems and flowed through the modern Yellow River at that time.

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Methane emissions by alpine plant communities in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2008.0373 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 681-684 ◽

Cited By ~ 67

Author(s):

Guangmin Cao ◽

Xingliang Xu ◽

Ruijun Long ◽

Qilan Wang ◽

Changting Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Communities ◽

Methane Emissions ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Atmospheric Methane ◽

Closed Chamber ◽

Methane Budget ◽

Alpine Plant Communities ◽

Regional Basis ◽

Qinghai Tibet Plateau

For the first time to our knowledge, we report here methane emissions by plant communities in alpine ecosystems in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. This has been achieved through long-term field observations from June 2003 to July 2006 using a closed chamber technique. Strong methane emission at the rate of 26.2±1.2 and 7.8±1.1 μg CH 4 m −2 h −1 was observed for a grass community in a Kobresia humilis meadow and a Potentilla fruticosa meadow, respectively. A shrub community in the Potentilla meadow consumed atmospheric methane at the rate of 5.8±1.3 μg CH 4 m −2 h −1 on a regional basis; plants from alpine meadows contribute at least 0.13 Tg CH 4 yr −1 in the Tibetan Plateau. This finding has important implications with regard to the regional methane budget and species-level difference should be considered when assessing methane emissions by plants.

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Evaluation of Noah-MP Land-Model Uncertainties over Sparsely Vegetated Sites on the Tibet Plateau

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos11050458 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 458

Author(s):

Guo Zhang ◽

Fei Chen ◽

Yueli Chen ◽

Jianduo Li ◽

Xindong Peng

Keyword(s):

Heat Flux ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Soil Organic Matter ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Sensible Heat Flux ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Annual Total ◽

The Impact

The water budget and energy exchange over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) region play an important role on the Asian monsoon. However, it is not well presented in the current land surface models (LSMs). In this study, uncertainties in the Noah with multiparameterization (Noah-MP) LSM are assessed through physics ensemble simulations in three sparsely vegetated sites located in the central TP. The impact of soil organic matter on energy flux and water cycles, along with the influence of uncertainties in precipitation are explored using observations at those sites during the third Tibetan Plateau Experiment from 1August2014 to31July2015. The greatest uncertainties are in the subprocesses of the canopy resistance, soil moisture limiting factors for evaporation, runoff (RNF) and ground water, and surface-layer parameterization. These uncertain subprocesses do not change across the different precipitation datasets. More precipitation can increase the annual total net radiation (Rn), latent heat flux (LH) and RNF, but decrease sensible heat flux (SH). Soil organic matter enlarges the annual total LH by ~26% but lessens the annual total Rn, SH, and RNF by ~7%, 7%, and 39%, respectively. Its effect on the LH and RNF at the Nagqu site, which has a sand soil texture type, is greater than that at the other two sites with sandy loam. This study highlights the importance of precipitation uncertainties and the effect of soil organic matter on the Noah-MP land-model simulations. It provides a guidance to improve the Noah-MP LSM further and hence the land-atmosphere interactions simulated by weather and climate models over the TP region.

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Neoproterozoic Amdo and Jiayuqiao microblocks in the Tibetan Plateau: Implications for Rodinia reconstruction

Geological Society of America Bulletin ◽

10.1130/b35632.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yiming Liu ◽

Yuhua Wang ◽

Sanzhong Li ◽

M. Santosh ◽

Runhua Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

South China ◽

Tectonic Setting ◽

Parental Magma ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Geochemical Data ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

South China Craton ◽

Neoproterozoic Magmatism ◽

T Values

The Tibetan Plateau is composed of several microblocks, the tectonic affinity and paleogeographic correlations of which remain enigmatic. We investigated the Amdo and Jiayuqiao microblocks in central Tibet Plateau with a view to understand their tectonic setting and paleogeographic position within the Neoproterozoic supercontinent Rodinia. We present zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope, and whole-rock geochemical data on Neoproterozoic granitic gneisses from these microblocks. Zircon grains from the Jiayuqiao granitic gneiss yielded an age of 857 ± 9 Ma with variable εHf(t) values (−8.9 to 4.0). The Amdo granitic gneisses yielded ages of 893 ± 5 Ma, 807 ± 5 Ma, and 767 ± 11 Ma, with εHf(t) values in the range of −4.9 to 3.5. Geochemically, the granitoids belong to high-K calc-alkaline series, with the protolith derived from partial melting of ancient crustal components. The ascending parental magma of the Amdo granitoids experienced significant mantle contamination as compared to the less contaminated magmas that generated the Jiayuqiao intrusions. In contrast to the Lhasa, Himalaya, South China, and Tarim blocks, we suggest that the Amdo and Jiayuqiao microblocks probably formed a unified block during the Neoproterozoic and were located adjacent to the southwestern part of South China craton. The Neoproterozoic magmatism was probably associated with the subduction of the peripheral ocean under the South China craton and the delamination of lithospheric mantle beneath the Jiangnan orogen.

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A Spatial and Temporal Continuum Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture Dataset of the Tibet Plateau From 2002 to 2015

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-20846 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yaokui Cui ◽

Chao Zeng ◽

Jie Zhou ◽

Xi Chen

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Land Surface ◽

European Space Agency ◽

Remotely Sensed ◽

General Regression Neural Network ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Space Agency ◽

Spatio Temporal

Abstract:Surface soil moisture plays an important role in the exchange of water and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere, and critical to climate change study. The Tibetan Plateau (TP), known as &#8220;The third pole of the world&#8221; and &#8220;Asia&#8217;s water towers&#8221;, exerts huge influences on and sensitive to global climates. Long time series of and spatio-temporal continuum soil moisture is helpful to understand the role of TP in this situation. In this study, a dataset of 14-year (2002&#8211;2015) Spatio-temporal continuum remotely sensed soil moisture of the TP at 0.25&#176; resolution is obtained, combining MODIS optical products and ESA (European Space Agency) ECV (Essential Climate Variable) combined soil moisture products based on General Regression Neural Network (GRNN). The validation of the dataset shows that the soil moisture is well reconstructed with R2 larger than 0.65, and RMSE less than 0.08 cm3 cm-3 and Bias less than 0.07 cm3 cm-3 at 0.25&#176; and 1&#176; spatial scale, compared with the in-situ measurements in the central of TP. And then, spatial&#160;and&#160;temporal&#160;characteristics and trend of SM over TP were analyzed based on this dataset.Keywords: Soil moisture; Remote Sensing; Dataset; GRNN; ECV; Tibetan Plateau

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Temperature variations over the past millennium on the Tibetan Plateau revealed by four ice cores

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/172756407782871305 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 362-366 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Tandong Yao ◽

Keqin Duan ◽

L.G. Thompson ◽

Ninglian Wang ◽

Lide Tian ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

19Th Century ◽

Northern Hemisphere ◽

Ice Core ◽

Ice Cores ◽

Ice Age ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Late 19Th Century ◽

The Past ◽

Northern Tibetan Plateau

AbstractTemperature variation on the Tibetan Plateau over the last 1000 years has been inferred using a composite δ18O record from four ice cores. Data from a new ice core recovered from the Puruogangri ice field in the central Tibetan Plateau are combined with those from three other cores (Dunde, Guliya and Dasuopu) recovered previously. The ice-core δ18O composite record indicates that the temperature change on the whole Tibetan Plateau is similar to that in the Northern Hemisphere on multi-decadal timescales except that there is no decreasing trend from AD 1000 to the late 19th century. The δ18O composite record from the northern Tibetan Plateau, however, indicates a cooling trend from AD 1000 to the late 19th century, which is more consistent with the Northern Hemisphere temperature reconstruction. The δ18O composite record reveals the existence of the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age (LIA) on the Tibetan Plateau. However, on the Tibetan Plateau the LIA is not the coldest period during the last millennium as in other regions in the Northern Hemisphere. The present study indicates that the 20th-century warming on the Tibetan Plateau is abrupt, and is warmer than at any time during the past 1000 years.

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Sequence Analysis of Several Ancient River Blocking Events in the Suwalong Reach of the Upper Jinsha River Based on Multidisciplinary Approaches, SE Tibetan Plateau

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1173924/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yiwei Zhang ◽

Jianping Chen ◽

Qing Wang ◽

Chun Tan ◽

Yongchao Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Mass Movement ◽

Field Investigation ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Tectonic Activity ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Jinsha River ◽

Steep Terrain ◽

Sbas Insar ◽

Blocking Event

Abstract The temporary or permanent river blocking event caused by mass movement usually occurs on steep terrain. With the increase of mountain population and land use pressure and the construction of water conservancy and hydropower projects, river blocking event has gradually attracted people’s attention and understanding. The study area (Wangdalong-Gangda reach) is located in the upper reaches of the Jinsha River and the southeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Affected by strong tectonic activity in the Jinsha River suture zone and the rapid uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, in the past 6000 years, there have been at least five obvious river blocking events in the reach of about 30 km in the study area. The number and density are very rare. Combined with the field investigation, indoor interpretation, laboratory tests, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, SBAS-InSAR and previous studies, multidisciplinary approaches are used to systematically summarize the analysis methods and further the understanding of one river blocking event and multiple river blocking events from difference perspectives. Especially in multiple river blocking events, we could get the wrong results, even the opposite conclusion if interaction is not considered. Through this study, the general method of analyzing the river blocking event and the problems that should be paid attention to in sampling are given, and relatively reliable historical results of river blocking events are obtained. This method has extensive applicability to the identification and analysis of river blocking events in other areas.

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Characterization of the Rickettsia-like and Coxiella-like symbionts in the tick Dermacentor everestianus Hirst, 1926 (Acari: Ixodidae) from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Systematic and Applied Acarology ◽

10.11158/saa.24.1.8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 106

Author(s):

Ningxin Li ◽

Sisi Li ◽

Duo Wang ◽

Peng Yan ◽

Wenying Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salivary Glands ◽

Malpighian Tubules ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Anaplasma Ovis ◽

Dermacentor Everestianus ◽

Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽

Great Damage

The tick Dermacentor everestianus is widely distributed on the Tibetan Plateau of China, where adult ticks usually parasitize sheep, yaks and horses. D. everestianus is able to transmit many zoonotic pathogens, including Francisella tularensis, Anaplasma ovis and Rickettsia raoultii-like bacteria, and can cause great damage to animals and human health. However, the symbionts in D. everestianus have not yet been investigated, which has hindered our understanding of the relationships between this tick species and associated tick-borne pathogens. In the current study, the Rickettsia-like and Coxiella-like symbionts in D. everestianus were identified and characterized. The results indicated that both Rickettsia-like (RLS-Des) and Coxiella-like (CLS-Des) symbionts showed 100% infection rates and displayed vertical transmission in D. everestianus. The RLS-Des showed a relatively higher abundance than the CLS-Des in D. everestianus. No tissue specificity was found for the RLS-Des or CLS-Des. These symbionts can inhabit the ovaries, salivary glands, midguts, Malpighian tubules and testes of D. everestianus. During the development of D. everestianus, the density of the RLS-Des showed more obvious changes than did that of the CLS-Des. Dramatic changes in the density of the RLS-Des were detected in the midguts, ovaries, salivary glands and Malpighian tubules when female D. everestianus were engorged and detached from the host, which suggested the potential role of these symbionts in the reproduction and development of D. everestianus. The dynamic changes in the density of the CLS-Des during feeding and reproduction of D. everestianus suggest the involvement of the CLS-Des in the reproduction of D. everestianus.

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Phonetic distance and dialect clustering on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau

Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area ◽

10.1075/ltba.17004.pow ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 161-178

Author(s):

Abe Powell ◽

Hiroyuki Suzuki

Keyword(s):

Edit Distance ◽

Distance Matrix ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

Equal Degree ◽

String Edit Distance ◽

Eastern Border ◽

Phonetic Distance ◽

Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract The goal of this paper is to use string edit distance to describe the synchronic relationship between the Tibetan speech varieties located on the Northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. String edit distance provides a statistical way to compare a large number of linguistic features, in essence producing a statistical bundle of isoglosses. In this way, it can be used as a tool in dialect mapping and synchronic clustering. In this paper, the aggregate distance matrix produced by string edit distance reveals that the great degree of phonetic continuity on the grasslands of the northeastern edge of the plateau is matched by an equal degree of phonetic discontinuity in the mountains forming the eastern border of the plateau. While the dialects located on the grasslands can be grouped together into one cluster, the dialects in the mountains can be grouped together into six clusters.

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