Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoxing Liu, Jingyi Ding, Wenwu Zhao
Summary: This study comprehensively assesses the impact of different ecological projects (including afforestation and grassland restoration) on ecosystem services (carbon storage, water conservation, soil retention). The results suggest that afforestation increases carbon storage and soil retention, while the effects of grassland restoration are mixed and overall changes in water conservation are negligible. Considering prior land use/measures, implementation age, climate, topography, and other resources is critical for optimizing ecosystem services.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yi Wang, Jian Sun, Tien Ming Lee
Summary: This study used a linear piecewise quantile regression to explore the effect of altitude on ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) and investigated the relationship between ecosystem functions and environmental factors along the altitudinal gradient. The results showed a changepoint in EMF at an altitude of approximately 3900 m, with distinct patterns in low- and high-altitude regions. Water availability primarily influenced the EMF in low-altitude areas, while water-heat and phenological conditions regulated the EMF in high-altitude areas.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Zhitong Chen, Jianbao Liu, Kathleen M. Ruehland, Jifeng Zhang, Ke Zhang, Wengang Kang, Shengqian Chen, Rong Wang, Haidong Zhang, John P. Smol
Summary: This article investigates the existence and decline of the Tibetan Empire, and finds that climate fluctuations between the 7th and 9th centuries played a key role in its fragmentation. Harsh environmental conditions, including severe drought, led to reduced crop production and increased social conflicts, which expedited the final downfall of the Tibetan Empire.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jianshuang Wu, Meng Li, Xianzhou Zhang, Sebastian Fiedler, Qingzhu Gao, Yuting Zhou, Wenfang Cao, Waseem Hassan, Mihai Ciprian Margarint, Paolo Tarolli, Britta Tietjen
Summary: Alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are sensitive to climate change and human activities, with climate warming and overgrazing leading to degradation. Research has shown that climate and human factors may have opposite effects on grasslands, likely regulated by plant community assembly and species functional traits.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Qinli Xiong, Yang Xiao, Pinghan Liang, Lingjuan Li, Lin Zhang, Ting Li, Kaiwen Pan, Chenggang Liu
Summary: Over the past 35 years, grassland productivity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has shown a significant increasing trend, with degradation observed in the northwestern region. Unsynchronized changes in temperature and precipitation were identified as the primary reason for the complex spatial pattern and distribution of vegetation productivity.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Qian Qian, Junbang Wang, Xiujuan Zhang, Shaoqiang Wang, Yingnian Li, Qinxue Wang, Alan E. Watson, Xinquan Zhao
Summary: This paper assesses the possibility of achieving established targets for the proportion of cultivated to available grassland in the Three-River Headwaters Region in China. It finds that in order to reach income targets in 2025, 5% of grasslands need to be cultivated, but achieving income targets in 2035 will become very difficult.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiahe Zheng, Yangjian Zhang, Xuhui Wang, Juntao Zhu, Guang Zhao, Zhoutao Zheng, Jian Tao, Yu Zhang, Ji Li
Summary: Using CO2-eddy-covariance-flux data from 1982 to 2018 at 18 sites on the Tibetan Plateau grassland, this study analyzed the spatial-temporal patterns of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) and its driving factors. The results showed that the grassland acted as a carbon sink of 26.2 Tg C yr(-1) and the NEP gradually increased from the northwest to the southeast. Moisture conditions and precipitation were proven to be the main driving factors in the southeastern areas, while temperature predominantly controlled the carbon flux in the northwest.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Tao Wang, Xiaoyi Wang, Dan Liu, Guanting Lv, Shuai Ren, Jinzhi Ding, Baozhang Chen, Jiansheng Qu, Yafeng Wang, Shilong Piao, Fahu Chen
Summary: The carbon balance of the Tibetan Plateau is uncertain, but it has the potential to release a large amount of carbon from its permafrost, which could impact China's carbon-neutral goal. Using different methods, including satellite data and models, the carbon sink during 2000-2015 was estimated to be 33.12-37.84 TgC yr(-1), outweighing the carbon source from livestock grazing. With projected emissions scenarios, the carbon sink is expected to increase by 38.3-74.5% by 2060, and restoration of degraded grassland could further enhance the total carbon sink to 57.78-70.52 TgC yr(-1). This study concludes that the Tibetan Plateau's ecosystems absorbed significant amounts of carbon and will continue to do so, contributing to China's carbon neutrality goal.
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dawen Qian, Yangong Du, Qian Li, Xiaowei Guo, Bo Fan, Guangmin Cao
Summary: This study investigates the impact of degradation on the spatial patterns and ecosystem services of alpine shrub-meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It found that degradation leads to fragmentation and patchiness in the meadow, resulting in a decrease in ecosystem services. The spatial patterns of the meadow layer are more closely related to its ecosystem services than the shrub layer.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Baotian Pan, Weijin Guan, Menghan Shi, Guangjian Wu, Jiamei Cheng, Donghui Shangguan, Wanqin Guo, Bo Cao
Summary: Glacier surge is a special form of glacier displacement caused by the instability of the glacial dynamic system, potentially affected by climate change resulting in accelerated glacier advance. The two surges identified in Weigeledangxiong Glacier in recent years differed in speed and scale, possibly due to long-term effects of rising temperatures.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Hui Zhang, Zhongqin Li, Ping Zhou
Summary: This study reconstructed the annual and seasonal mass balances of Shiyi Glacier in the northeast Tibetan Plateau from 1963/64 to 2016/17 based on glacio-meteorological records and in-situ mass balance data, showing an overall downward trend in mass balance over the past 54 years, primarily due to temperature increases and prolonged ablation seasons. The research also found a close correlation between mass balance values and zonal wind speeds in the glacierized region, with the influence of macroscale circulation patterns being significant in the glacier mass balance dynamics.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Honghong Lin, Xiaoli Cheng, L. Adrian Bruijnzeel, Xingwu Duan, Jun Zhang, Liding Chen, Hua Zheng, Shaojuan Lu, Yifan Dong, Jiangcheng Huang, Ronghua Zhong, Chun Li
Summary: The alpine ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau has experienced accelerated climate change and severe vegetation degradation in the past four decades, leading to increased soil erosion hazards. This study systematically investigates the spatio-temporal variations in soil erodibility (K) under different land uses on the southern Tibetan Plateau and identifies the driving factors. The results reveal a negative feedback mechanism between soil erosion and K in most alpine ecosystems, and show that the impact of vegetation degradation on K is enhanced by climate change.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hongqin Li, Fawei Zhang, Jiexia Li, Xiaowei Guo, Huakun Zhou, Yingnian Li
Summary: Discrete extreme heat events have a significant impact on grassland ecosystems, with heat fluxes and CO2 fluxes showing different responses. Latent heat flux increased significantly during periods of dry and hot weather. Changes in heat flux were determined by changes in solar radiation, while CO2 fluxes were more strongly influenced by exceptional heat during extreme wet or dry events.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Yunxia Jia, Haibin Wu, Wenchao Zhang, Qin Li, Yanyan Yu, Chunxia Zhang, Aizhi Sun
Summary: The study quantitatively reconstructed the Cenozoic paleoclimatic variables for the Qaidam Basin in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, revealing stepwise cooling and drying with major transitions around 43 Ma and 14 Ma, possibly linked to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and global cooling respectively.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuting Yang, Yi Sun, Ben Niu, Yunfei Feng, Fusong Han, Meng Li
Summary: This study quantified the stability components (temporal invariability, resistance, and resilience) of alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau and investigated the effects of climate variables and human activities on the relationships among these components. The findings show that temporal invariability is positively correlated with resistance and resilience, and temperature is the main factor influencing the changes in stability dimensionality.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)