Exploring the Source of the Yangtze River - "Physical Examination Report" from the Source of the Yangtze River
2024-08-05
The 2024 Jiangyuan Comprehensive Scientific Expedition Team has recently ventured deep into the hinterland of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, conducting scientific expeditions in the Yangtze River source area with an average altitude of over 4500 meters. The source area of the Yangtze River is a sensitive response area to climate change and a fragile ecological environment. What impact will global warming have on the ecological environment of Jiangyuan? In the summer season, more than 20 scientific expedition members from the Yangtze River Science Academy of the Yangtze River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources and other units focused on the five key areas of "water, soil, air, sand, and ice", conducting a comprehensive "physical examination" of water resources, water ecology, water environment, etc. in the source area of the Yangtze River, clarifying the ecological background of the source area, finding the laws of changes in the source area, and providing more scientific support for the protection of the Yangtze River. The challenges brought by warming and humidification have attracted attention. Journalists and scientific expedition members drove in the hinterland of Jiangyuan, only to see layers of clouds and mist enveloping the rolling mountains on both sides, suddenly turning into a sudden rain, which caught people off guard; At the foot of the glacier, meltwater pours down from a high place, making a huge rumbling sound; In the shallow valley, the stream seems to have lost its restraint, mixed with a large amount of sediment, rolling up layers of yellow brown waves and rushing towards the distance. Xu Ping, Chief Engineer of the Yangtze River Academy of Sciences, introduced that this year's scientific expedition further grasped the ecological environment status of the Yangtze River source, which is a comprehensive "physical examination" of the health status of the source. The scientific expedition team monitored and found that in recent years, the runoff of these rivers has significantly increased and the water level has risen due to factors such as warm and humid climate in places such as Dangqu in the southern source of the Yangtze River and the Tianhe Basin in the dry flow of the Yangtze River. Experts participating in this scientific expedition believe that the overall water ecological environment in the source area of the Yangtze River is improving, and at the same time, a large amount of water resources can be continuously and stably transported to downstream areas. Shi Lu, a member of the scientific expedition team of Qinghai Hydrological and Water Resources Monitoring and Reporting Center, introduced that the self-produced water resources in the Yangtze River source area have generally become abundant since 2005, especially since 2017, with a significant increase. In the past five years, the average annual self-produced water resources in the Yangtze River source area have reached 26.17 billion cubic meters, which is more than 40% higher than the average value from 1956 to 2016. Qiao Qianglong, an engineer from the Watershed Water Environment Research Institute of the Yangtze River Academy of Sciences, and his colleagues observed that during the 13 year scientific expedition in the Jiangyuan area, the species of aquatic organisms showed a slow growth trend, which is related to factors such as temperature rise and water volume increase caused by the warming and humidification of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. At the same time, the challenges brought by warming and humidification have also attracted the attention of scientists. Data shows that the temperature in the Yangtze River Basin has significantly increased in the past 60 years, and climate change in the source area of the Yangtze River has become more pronounced, with an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation. At the foot of the Dongkemadi Glacier at an altitude of over 5200 meters, teammates such as Engineering Teacher Yue and Jing Xu from the Key Laboratory of Rock and Soil Mechanics and Engineering of the Ministry of Water Resources of the Yangtze River Academy of Sciences are carrying more than 30 kilograms of radar equipment and heading towards the glacier. They pass through rivers formed by glacier melting, lay measurement lines on glaciers, continuously record electromagnetic signals received by ground penetrating radar, and detect glacier thickness based on inversion data. Fan Yue said that based on the scientific research conducted in recent years on the main peak glacier and Dongkemadi glacier of Geladandong Snow Mountain, both glaciers have shown a gradual trend of shrinkage. Research shows that global mountain glaciers are generally in a state of retreat. In the past half century, nearly 6000 small glaciers have disappeared in China, and most glaciers are shrinking. Glaciers in the source region of the Yangtze River are generally in the state of end retreat, area reduction and thickness thinning. The key focus of this scientific expedition, the Dongkemadi Glacier, has been continuously melting in recent years. In 2009, it retreated and decomposed into two glaciers, the large and small Dongkemadi. Currently, the glacier's front ice tongue is still retreating. Zhou Yinjun, Deputy Director of the River Research Institute of the Yangtze River Academy of Sciences, closely monitors the impact of climate change on rivers in the source area of the Yangtze River. He said that since around 2000, the sediment content of rivers in the source area of the Yangtze River has also begun to increase. After 2016, the sediment load at the Zhimenda hydrological station in the source area of the Yangtze River increased by about 50% compared to the average of previous years, while the sediment load at the Tuotuohe hydrological station almost doubled. The "physical examination" of Jiangyuan will continue to deepen, according to Qin Pengcheng, a senior engineer at the Yangtze River Basin Meteorological Center. Compared with the overall Yangtze River Basin, climate change in the Yangtze River source area is more significant, with a warming rate about twice that of the entire basin. The trend of warming and humidification in the source area of the Yangtze River will continue in the future. It is expected that by the end of the 21st century, under a moderate emission scenario, the average temperature in the source area of the Yangtze River will increase by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius compared to the current level, and precipitation may increase by 10% to 30%. Qin Pengcheng said that the trend of warming and humidification in the source area of the Yangtze River continues, which is conducive to the increase of water resources for a certain period of time. However, climate warming will accelerate the retreat of glaciers in the source area. The increase in the total amount of water resources will further improve the ecological environment in the Three River Source and downstream areas, but it will also increase sediment transport, bring about river regime evolution, and affect the stable operation of river related and hub projects Zhou Yinjun said that understanding the hydrological process changes and mechanisms of the source rivers under climate change can help scientifically determine future changes in water and sediment levels and disaster risks. Walking in the unique and high-altitude Jiangyuan area, the reporter saw that there were grasses standing tall in the wind and snow in the valley beaches and mountains, and flowers blooming tenaciously in the wilderness. Ren Feipeng, a senior engineer at the Institute of Soil and Water Conservation of the Yangtze River Academy of Sciences, has long been concerned about the degradation of alpine vegetation in the Jiangyuan region under the background of climate change. Ren Feipeng found through experiments that when the warming reaches or exceeds 3 degrees Celsius, the alpine grassland ecosystem at the in-situ experimental site in Jiangyuan will exhibit critical point changes; The more the temperature increase exceeds 3 degrees Celsius, the more significant the decline in plant biodiversity within the plot. The Jiangyuan region is extremely cold and oxygen deficient, with strong solar radiation. Life evolves slowly in extremely harsh environments, so plants are more sensitive to sudden changes in the environment He said, "The higher the warming amplitude, the greater the biomass, but after warming, the competition between different plants for water, fertilizer, and light will also intensify." Experts such as Qin Pengcheng said that currently, research on the Jiangyuan area mostly uses limited meteorological, hydrological monitoring data and satellite remote sensing data products, combined with numerical models for prediction. Therefore, conducting field investigations in Jiangyuan can compensate for the problem of insufficient density of conventional observation systems on the plateau, and provide important basis for optimizing and improving numerical model parameters. At the same time, in the Jiangyuan scientific expedition, researchers from different research institutions and professional disciplines can discuss and exchange ideas with each other, which can promote interdisciplinary research. The great protection of the Yangtze River starts from the source of the river Xu Ping said that the Jiangyuan Scientific Expedition adheres to a watershed perspective and problem orientation, and gradually deepens the research on the ecological evolution laws of the Jiangyuan. Relevant papers will provide a scientific research foundation for the protection of the Yangtze River. The spirit of scientific exploration has been passed down from generation to generation. Xu Ping led his scientific expedition team to climb the Dongkemadi Glacier to a place where they could stand on their feet. He often reminded everyone to take a break and "walk slowly, grasp the rhythm". This is his 13th scientific expedition to Jiangyuan. Climbing without stopping, persevering in research, and passing on the spirit of scientific exploration from generation to generation. Due to limitations in transportation and measurement methods, people's understanding of the Yangtze River has gone through a long and difficult process. In 1976, the People's Republic of China organized its first scientific expedition to the source of the Yangtze River. The participating team members signed and wrote a "life and death statement", determined to find the source of the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources organized a scientific research team to finally trace the source of the Yangtze River back to the foot of the main peak of Tanggula Mountain, Geladandong Snow Mountain, after enduring hardships. That expedition also corrected the length of the Yangtze River, which replaced the Mississippi River as the third longest river in the world. If the search for the source of the Yangtze River has answered the Chinese people's hard questions about the source of the mother river for thousands of years, the scientific research on the source of the Yangtze River reflects the Chinese people's unremitting efforts to deeply understand and effectively protect the "Chinese Water Tower" in the context of global climate change. The Qinghai Tibet Plateau, known as the "third pole" of the Earth, is one of the most sensitive regions in the world to climate change. As an important component of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau ecosystem, the ecological environment of the river source region has a significant impact on the stability of the basin's climate system, water resource security, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem security. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of human activities on the ecological environment at the source of rivers, researchers from institutions such as the Yangtze River Academy of Sciences visited Jiangyuan in 2012, marking the beginning of the normalization of scientific research in Jiangyuan. What makes Xu Ping most proud is that the scientific expedition team gritted their teeth and went upstream against the river, overcoming adverse effects such as high altitude, lack of oxygen, travel fatigue, rain and snow in the Jiangyuan area with an average altitude of over 4500 meters. They repeatedly entered the core area of Jiangyuan and returned with scientific research achievements... Jiangyuan scientific expedition is an exploration of the unknown world and a difficult "relay race". With the continuous deepening of scientific research, a group of "post-90s" team members are demonstrating their responsibility and dedication through practical actions. Ten years like a day, batches of scientific expedition team members "pulse" Jiang Yuan and answer questions. Opening the thick collection of scientific research papers on the Yangtze River source, more than 100 scientific research papers related to the water environment, water ecology, soil and water conservation of the Yangtze River source are included. More than half of the papers were published in recent years, indicating that the scientific research achievements in Jiangyuan are accelerating, "Xu Ping said." Multiple scientific research achievements are 'first-time'. The exploration of Jiangyuan will continue. No matter how many difficulties and challenges we encounter, we will persist in carrying out the scientific expedition of Jiangyuan, and strive to maintain the health and clarity of the Yangtze River with a scientific attitude and exploratory spirit forever Zhou Yinjun said. (New Society)
Edit：He Chuanning Responsible editor：Su Suiyue
Source：Xinhua
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