Article
Forestry
Yafeng Wang, Daihan Li, Ping Ren, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Jesus Julio Camarero
Summary: This study investigated the responses of alpine treelines to climate warming on the Tibetan Plateau and found heterogeneous responses across the region. While most treelines showed upward advancement, some treelines remained stable. The position of the current tree species line was found to be crucial in evaluating treeline dynamics, and plant-plant interactions played a role in modulating warming-induced treeline advances.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Li Zhang, Lingyan Yan, Xiaojun Kou, Zhiyun Ouyang
Summary: This study explores the relationship between lakes and Tibetan antelopes in the vulnerable Tibetan Plateau. It found that areas with larger lakes and flatter terrain tend to have a higher population of Tibetan antelopes. Additionally, vegetation cover and plant diversity are higher near the lake compared to farther away. These findings suggest that lakes offer Tibetan antelopes a richer food supply and reduced predation risk. The study provides new perspectives for understanding the cross-ecosystem impacts of climate change.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tanguang Gao, Yulan Zhang, Shichang Kang, Benjamin W. Abbott, Xiaoming Wang, Tingjun Zhang, Shuhua Yi, Orjan Gustafsson
Summary: The rate of permafrost collapse is accelerating on the Tibetan Plateau, with the area of collapsed permafrost increasing by approximately a factor of 40 from 1969 to 2017, with 70% of the collapsed area forming since 2004. These widespread perturbations could trigger changes in local ecosystem state and amplify large-scale permafrost climate feedbacks.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Jiacheng Zheng, Lixin Lyu, Qibin Zhang
Summary: This study analyzed tree-ring width data of trees at the highest treelines on the Tibetan Plateau to investigate how isolated trees were able to grow at high elevations in cold environments during the Little Ice Age. The results showed that isolated trees developed adaptive abilities to slow down radial growth rate and modulate growth synchronicity among individuals in the cold and stressful conditions. This highlights the growth plasticity of isolated trees above treelines for coping with harsh conditions during the Little Ice Age.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Cai, Chang -Qing Ke, Yao Xiao, Juan Wu
Summary: These lakes have undergone significant changes in recent years, with later freeze-up and break-up dates. The changes in ice cover duration showed spatial heterogeneity. Air temperature changes had the greatest influence on ice phenology, followed by solar radiation. Weakened wind power in the northeastern part of the plateau contributed to delayed break-up and extended ice cover. Water balance changes, affected by lake size and salinity, intensified ice phenology changes in some lakes while moderating or reversing changes in others. The spatial inconsistency of changes in multiple climatic factors was the main reason for the heterogeneity of lake ice phenology changes. This study provides important insights into the effects of climate change and lake properties on lake ice phenology.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Linan Guo, Hongxing Zheng, Yanhong Wu, Lanxin Fan, Mengxuan Wen, Junsheng Li, Fangfang Zhang, Liping Zhu, Bing Zhang
Summary: Lake surface water temperature (LSWT) is a critical physical property and indicator of climate change in the aquatic ecosystem. This study presents a comprehensive dataset of daily LSWT for 160 lakes across the Tibetan Plateau, combining satellite-based observation and modeling. The dataset reveals a significant increase in annual LSWT from 1978 to 2017, with a higher warming rate in winter than in summer.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Achille Jouberton, Thomas E. Shaw, Evan Miles, Michael McCarthy, Stefan Fugger, Shaoting Ren, Amaury Dehecq, Wei Yang, Francesca Pellicciotti
Summary: Glacier mass loss in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau has accelerated due to increased warming, with the majority of the loss occurring during the monsoon months. Changes in precipitation amount and ratio have played a significant role in the mass loss, with increased solid precipitation in spring mitigating the loss. However, prolonged exposure to warmer temperatures has unsustainably intensified ice melt and catchment discharge, raising concerns for long-term water supply and hazards in the region.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cen Zhang, Da -He Qin, Pan -Mao Zhai
Summary: This study reveals the seasonality and timescale of the Tibetan warming amplification and points out that winter exhibits the strongest warming amplification. Additionally, the simulation results show that the amplification of warming in the Tibetan Plateau region is relatively weak, which is attributed to the underestimation of warming in this area by the models. By conducting the attribution study, it is found that the stronger warming response to human influence on the Tibetan Plateau is the direct cause of the Tibetan warming amplification.
ADVANCES IN CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaofei Hu, Linfeng Wei, Qi Cheng, Xingqi Wu, Jian Ni
Summary: Climate change poses a threat to ecosystems and their function. This study investigates climate-smart planning for protected areas in the Tibetan Plateau under climate change scenarios. The results show that considering climate impacts in protected area planning can help minimize economic and climate costs but there is still a need to protect 58% of gap areas. Therefore, six adjustable areas in the eastern and southern Tibetan Plateau with complex ecological functions under future climate scenarios have been identified.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wenfeng Chen, Tandong Yao, Guoqing Zhang, R. Iestyn Woolway, Wei Yang, Fenglin Xu, Tao Zhou
Summary: During the extreme warming period, surface temperatures in glacial regions of the Tibetan Plateau have increased faster than non-glacial areas, and the duration and intensity of glacier surface heatwaves have significantly increased. These changes may pose potential threats to the sustainability of glacier water resources and increase the risk of glacier related hazards.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Andreas Gruber, Walter Oberhuber, Gerhard Wieser
Summary: The margin of the life-form tree in high elevation or latitude areas is determined by low temperature, with trees defined as upright woody species taller than 2-3m. The global temperature limit of the life-form tree occurs when the mean soil temperature in the growing season declines to 6.7 +/- 0.8 degrees C. However, disturbance and human land use can lead to the absence of trees at the climatic treeline.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Shuzhen Hu, Pang-Chi Hsu, Wenkai Li, Lu Wang, Haishan Chen, Botao Zhou
Summary: Earth's surface warming is affected by external forcing, with greater warming observed in the Arctic and high-elevation regions like the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The snow-albedo feedback and cloud-radiation feedback strongly influence the seasonality of TP warming. TP warming amplification is weaker than Arctic amplification in winter due to the different contributions of surface albedo feedback and lapse rate feedback to the warming.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fu Yuan-Hai, Gao Xue-Jie, Zhu Ying-Mo, Guo Dong
Summary: This study investigates future climate change over the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas using the RCM RegCM4 driven by multiple GCMs. Results show that RegCM4 improves the simulation of temperature and precipitation distributions with finer spatial details and better representation of topographic effects. Both RegCM4 and GCM simulations project general warming and increased precipitation, but differences exist in spatial distribution and magnitude of changes.
ADVANCES IN CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH
(2021)
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
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xinjun He, Jianzhong Yan, Liang Emily Yang, Ya Wu, Hong Zhou
Summary: The increasing severity of climate change poses a significant challenge to the livelihoods of smallholders. This study examines how smallholders adapt to climate change under government interventions and provides recommendations for governments to better promote smallholder adaptation. The results show that smallholders mainly adopt four adaptation strategies while governments assist them through subsidies, training, credit, insurance, improved varieties, infrastructure development, and cooperatives. The study highlights the importance of natural capital indicators and government interventions in facilitating smallholder adaptation.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Jayram Pandey, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Xiaoming Lu, Franco Salerno, Binod Dawadi, Eryuan Liang, Jesus Julio Camarero
GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A-PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Shalik Ram Sigdel, Eryuan Liang, Yafeng Wang, Binod Dawadi, Jesus Julio Camarero
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2020)
Article
Plant Sciences
Munawar Ali, Fayaz Asad, Haifeng Zhu, Moinuddin Ahmed, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Ru Huang, Shankar Sharma, Eryuan Liang, Iqtidar Hussain, Tabassum Yaseen
Summary: The study in the high altitude mountains of the Karakoram-Himalaya in northern Pakistan reveals that tree growth is sensitive to spring precipitation and summer temperature, with different sites showing varying responses to climate factors. This highlights the heterogeneity in micro climate on a local scale.
PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shalik Ram Sigdel, Jayram Pandey, Eryuan Liang, Sher Muhammad, Flurin Babst, Steven W. Leavitt, Miaogen Shen, Haifeng Zhu, Franco Salerno, Shilong Piao, J. Julio Camarero, Josep Penuelas
Article
Agronomy
Xiaoxia Li, Sergio Rossi, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Binod Dawadi, Eryuan Liang
Summary: This study found a close relationship between cambial phenology and hydraulic diameter in Himalayan birch trees, indicating that climate changes may lead to earlier growth resumption and larger, more efficient hydraulic diameters, but also make them more vulnerable to drought-induced cavitation.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Ru Huang, Haifeng Zhu, Eryuan Liang, Achim Braeuning, Linhao Zhong, Chenxi Xu, Xiaoyu Feng, Fayaz Asad, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Lingcheng Li, Jussi Griessinger
Summary: Identifying the influence of seasonal water sources on tree growth is crucial for understanding the impact of climate change on forest dynamics. This study in the Karakoram region found that winter precipitation affects tree growth through soil moisture, with winter climate signals incorporated in tree-ring latewood oxygen isotope variations.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Yafeng Wang, Daihan Li, Ping Ren, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Jesus Julio Camarero
Summary: This study investigated the responses of alpine treelines to climate warming on the Tibetan Plateau and found heterogeneous responses across the region. While most treelines showed upward advancement, some treelines remained stable. The position of the current tree species line was found to be crucial in evaluating treeline dynamics, and plant-plant interactions played a role in modulating warming-induced treeline advances.
Article
Ecology
Nita Dyola, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Eryuan Liang, Flurin Babst, J. Julio Camarero, Sugam Aryal, Nakul Chettri, Shan Gao, Xiaoming Lu, Jian Sun, Tao Wang, Gengxin Zhang, Haifeng Zhu, Shilong Piao, Josep Penuelas
Summary: This study investigates the effects of climate, species richness, and structural attributes on forest biomass by measuring tree diversity and structural attributes. The results show that species richness has a stronger influence on biomass than environmental and structural attributes, and potential evapotranspiration is more strongly correlated with biomass than water availability, especially in the presence of the Indian summer monsoon. These findings have important implications for predicting forest carbon sinks and mitigating climate change in hydroclimatically significant regions.
Article
Forestry
Munawar Ali, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Xiangyu Zheng, Fayaz Asad, Ru Huang, Haifeng Zhu, Sher Muhammad, Iqtidar Hussain, Saulat Hussain, J. Julio Camarero, Eryuan Liang
Summary: This study compares the dynamics of blue pine and Himalayan birch treelines in the Karakoram region and finds that blue pine is more responsive to climate warming, showing faster and more dynamic upslope shifts compared to birch. The study also emphasizes the importance of considering other non-climatic factors in understanding treeline dynamics.
TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Shalik Ram Sigdel, Eryuan Liang, Maan Bahadur Rokaya, Samresh Rai, Nita Dyola, Jian Sun, Lin Zhang, Haifeng Zhu, Nakul Chettri, Ram Prasad Chaudhary, J. Julio Camarero, Josep Penuelas
Summary: This study investigated the functional traits of Koenigia mollis in different elevational zones of the central Himalayas and found that elevation influenced the plant's functional traits. The plant's height, leaf morphology, and chemical properties were closely related to elevation, climate, and ecosystem productivity. The results provide insights into how plants modify their functional traits in response to changing environments.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Xiaoming Lu, Fang Hu, Eryuan Liang, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Zhanhuan Shang, J. Julio Camarero
Summary: The loss of resilience and prolonged recovery times after extreme climate events could serve as early warning signals for approaching tipping points or irreversible changes. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding such critical slowing down in terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in alpine shrublands. This study investigated the growth resilience of alpine willow shrubs to cold spells along elevational gradients and found that both growth resilience and recovery indices decreased with elevation. The results highlight the applicability of critical slowing down theory in assessing growth resilience in alpine shrublines and suggest that this phenomenon may be universal in various ecosystems.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jayram Pandey, J. Julio Camarero, Xiaoming Lu, Shalik Ram Sigdel, Shan Gao, Eryuan Liang
Summary: The Himalayas, a highly seismically active region, experience frequent catastrophic earthquakes. The impact of severe earthquakes on Himalayan forests is not well understood. This study analyzed tree growth patterns after major earthquakes, showing that a high percentage of trees exhibited growth suppressions after earthquake events. Trees closer to the epicenter had longer recovery times.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)