scholarly journals Brief communication: A ~50 Mm<sup>3</sup> ice-rock avalanche on 22 March 2021 in the Sedongpu valley, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuanxi Zhao ◽  
Wei Yang ◽  
Matthew Westoby ◽  
Baosheng An ◽  
Guangjian Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Rock Avalanche ◽  
Large Mass ◽  
Avalanche Flow ◽  
Mass Flows ◽  
Yarlung Tsangpo ◽  
Yarlung Tsangpo River ◽  
Air Temperature Anomalies ◽  
Southeastern Tibet

Abstract. On 22 March 2021, a ~50 M m3  ice-rock avalanche occurred from 6500 m asl in the Sedongpu basin, southeastern Tibet. The avalanche transformed into a highly mobile flow which temporarily blocked the Yarlung Tsangpo river. The avalanche flow lasted ~5 minutes and produced substantial geomorphological reworking. This event, and previous ones from the basin, occurred concurrently with, or shortly after recorded positive air temperature anomalies. The occurrence of future large mass flows from the basin cannot be ruled out, and their impacts must be carefully considered given implications for sustainable hydropower and associated socioeconomic development in the region.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of water budget dynamic in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin of Tibetan Plateau based on multi-source datasets

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Jiang ◽  
Zongxue Xu
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Budget ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Water Budgets ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Yarlung Tsangpo ◽  
Yarlung Tsangpo River

&lt;p&gt;Understanding the dynamics of basin-scale water budgets over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is significant for hydrology and water resource management in the southern and eastern Asia. However, a detailed water balance analysis is limited by the lack of adequate hydro-climatic observations in this region. In this study, we investigate the spatiotemporal variation of water budget components (e.g. precipitation P, evapotranspiration ET and runoff Q etc.) in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin (YTB) of southeast TP during the period of 1975-2015 through using multi-source datasets (e.g. insitu observation, remote sensing data products, reanalysis outputs and model simulations etc.). The change trend of water budget components and vegetation parameters was analyzed in the YTB on interannual scale. The results indicated that the detailed water budgets are different from upstream to downstream YTB due to different temperature, vegetation cover and evapotranspiration, which are mainly affected by different climate conditions. In the whole basin, precipitation that are mainly during June to October was the major contributor to the runoff. The P and Q were found to show a slight but insignificant decrease in most regions of YTB since the late 1990s, which showed positive relationships with the weakening Indian summer monsoon. While the ET showed an insignificant increase across most of the YTB, especially in the middle basin. The runoff coefficient (Q/P) exhibited an indistinctively decreasing trend which may be, to some extent, due to the overlap effects of ET increase and snow and glacier changes. The obtained results offer insights into understanding the evolution mechanism of hydrological processes in such a data-sparse region under changing environment.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Ge/Si Ratio of River Water in the Yarlung Tsangpo: Implications for Hydrothermal Input and Chemical Weathering

Water ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
Yuchen Wang ◽  
Tong Zhao ◽  
Zhifang Xu ◽  
Huiguo Sun ◽  
Jiangyi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
River Water ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Iron Hydroxide ◽  
Mineral Dissolution ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Yarlung Tsangpo ◽  
Yarlung Tsangpo River ◽  
Clay Formation ◽  
Hydrothermal Water

Germanium/Silicon (Ge/Si) ratio is a common proxy for primary mineral dissolution and secondary clay formation yet could be affected by hydrothermal and anthropogenic activities. To decipher the main controls of riverine Ge/Si ratios and evaluate the validity of the Ge/Si ratio as a weathering proxy in the Tibetan Plateau, a detailed study was presented on Ge/Si ratios in the Yarlung Tsangpo River, southern Tibetan Plateau. River water and hydrothermal water were collected across different climatic and tectonic zones, with altitudes ranging from 800 m to 5000 m. The correlations between TDS (total dissolved solids) and the Ge/Si ratio and Si and Ge concentrations of river water, combined with the spatial and temporal variations of the Ge/Si ratio, indicate that the contribution of hydrothermal water significantly affects the Ge/Si ratio of the Yarlung Tsangpo River water, especially in the upper and middle reaches. Based on the mass balance calculation, a significant amount of Ge (11–88%) has been lost during its transportation from hydrothermal water to the river system; these could result from the incorporation of Ge on/into clays, iron hydroxide, and sulfate mineral. In comparison, due to the hydrothermal input, the average Ge/Si ratio in the Yarlung Tsangpo River is a magnitude order higher than the majority of rivers over the world. Therefore, evaluation of the contribution of hydrothermal sources should be considered when using the Ge/Si ratio to trace silicate weathering in rivers around the Tibetan Plateau.

Two new species of Garra (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from the lower Yarlung Tsangpo River drainage in southeastern Tibet, China

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4532 (3) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZHENG GONG ◽  
JÖRG FREYHOF ◽  
JIAN WANG ◽  
MENG LIU ◽  
FEI LIU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Lateral Line ◽  
Lateral Surface ◽  
Species Group ◽  
River Drainage ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Yarlung Tsangpo ◽  
Yarlung Tsangpo River ◽  
Southeastern Tibet ◽  
Pelvic Fin

Two new species of the fish genus Garra (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) are described from the lower Yarlung Tsangpo River drainage in southeastern Tibet, China. Garra motuoensis, a member of the proboscis species group, is primarily distinguished from the members of this group by having a prominent, quadrate, and slightly bilobed proboscis; 6–20 small to middle-sized unicuspid tubercles on the anterior region of the proboscis, some middle-sized unicuspid tubercles on the transverse lobe of the snout, and several small unicuspid tubercles on the lateral surface of snout; the anus situated slightly closer to the anal-fin origin than to the pelvic-fin origin (distance from anus to anal fin 36–46% of pelvic-anal distance); 36–37 lateral-line scales; and 12 circumpeduncular scales. Garra yajiangensis, a member of the proboscis species group, is primarily distinguished from the members of this group by having a prominent, quadrate, and slightly bilobed proboscis, covered with 2–7 middle-sized unicuspid tubercles, including two large-sized tubercles on anterior margin of each lobe; some small unicuspid tubercles on the transverse lobe and the lateral surface of snout; the anus situated substantially closer to the anal-fin origin than to the pelvic-fin origin (distance from anus to anal fin 19–24% of pelvic-anal distance); 34–36 lateral-line scales; and 12 circumpeduncular scales. The validities of these two new species were also corroborated by molecular phylogenetic analysis based on Cyt b gene sequences. 

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