1949-2017年青藏高原科学考察研究历程

The scientific expedition and research activities on the Tibetan Plateau in 1949-2017

被誉为世界屋脊和亚洲水塔的青藏高原是中国资源宝库和生态安全屏障。1949年以来,青藏高原科学考察研究作为国家战略任务受到高度重视。1949—2017年第二次青藏高原综合科学考察研究(简称“第二次青藏科考”)启动之前,中国科学家在青藏高原地区开展的科学考察研究历程大致可分为4个阶段:(1)区域专题科学考察阶段(20世纪50—60年代),该阶段取得了重要的第一手资料,为此后的大规模青藏高原综合科学考察研究奠定了基础;(2)第一次青藏高原综合科学考察研究阶段(简称“第一次青藏科考”,1973—1992年),该阶段首次开展了大规模多学科的综合考察研究,完成了面积约260万km2的青藏高原综合科学考察研究,积累了大量的科学资料,产生了巨大的科学和社会影响;(3)问题主导的科学考察研究阶段(20世纪90年代—21世纪初),包括攀登计划、国家重点基础研究发展计划、高水平国际合作等为特征的科学问题主导的科学考察研究,实现了由静态到动态、由定性到定量、由单一学科到交叉学科的里程碑式转变;(4)建制化和团队攻坚的科学考察研究阶段(2003—2017年),这一阶段以2003年中国科学院青藏高原研究所成立为标志,队伍规模化组建,野外台站体系化建成,实验室建设形成规模,国际合作不断深化,中国科学院战略性先导科技专项以及第三极环境国际计划等重大项目的实施,汇集了全国和全球开展青藏高原研究的杰出人才,推动青藏高原研究走进世界地学研究的第一方阵,为2017年启动第二次青藏科考打下了坚实基础。

The Tibetan Plateau(TP), also known as the roof of the world and the Asian Water Tower, is an important ecological security barrier for China. Since 1949, scientific expedition and research on the TP has always been a major scientific and technological task at the national strategic level. This paper reviewed the scientific expedition and research activities carried out by Chinese scientists on the TP from 1949 to 2017, before the initiation of the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research(STEP). These activities can be divided into four stages:(1) Regional and thematic scientific expedition and research carried out from the early1950s to the late 1960s, which obtained important scientific data, laid the foundation for the large-scale expedition and research starting from the 1970s.(2) The first comprehensive scientific expedition and research on the TP during 1973-1992, which investigated the full range of TP covering an area of 2.6 million km2, collected a large number of first-hand scientific data, filled in the gaps in some areas and disciplines of the TP research, and had significant scientific and societal impacts.(3) Scientific question-oriented expedition and research from the early 1990s, promoted by national and international scientific projects, has achieved a milestone transformation from static to dynamic processes, from qualitative to quantitative analyses, and from single discipline to multi-disciplinary integration on TP research.(4) Since its founding in 2003, the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences has been leading multi-disciplinary research teams, and conducted institutionalization and group-oriented expedition and research in field observations, laboratory systems and international networks. At present, the STEP is being carried out and the reviewing of the fruitful achievements in the past will inspire the STEP team to be actively involved in the TP research.