Mechanism underlying the uprooting of taproot-type shrub species in the loess area of northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China

Characteristics of root pullout resistance determine the capacity to withstand uprooting and the slope protection ability of plants.However,mechanism underlying the uprooting of taproot-type shrub species in the loess area of northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau,China remains unclear.In this study,a common taproot-type shrub,Caragana korshinskii Kom.,in northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau was selected as the research material.Mechanism of root-soil interaction of vertical root of C.korshinskii was investigated via a combination of a single-root pullout test and numerical simulation analysis.The results indicated that,when pulling vertically,axial force of the roots decreased with an increase in buried depth,whereas shear stress at root-soil interface initially increased and then decreased as burial depths increased.At the same buried depth,both axial force and shear stress of the roots increased with the increase in pullout force.Shear stress and plastic zone of the soil surrounding the root were symmetrically distributed along the root system.Plastic zone was located close to the surface and was caused primarily by tensile failure.In nonvertical pulling,symmetry of shear stress and plastic zone of the soil surrounding the root was disrupted.We observed larger shear stress and plastic zones on the side facing the direction of root deflection.Plastic zone included both shear and tensile failure.Axial force of the root system near the surface decreased as deflection angle of the pullout force increased.When different rainfall infiltration depths had the same vertical pulling force,root axial force decreased with the increase of rainfall infiltration depth and total root displacement increased.During rainfall infiltration,shear stress and plastic zone of the soil surrounding the root were prone to propagating deeper into the soil.These findings provide a foundation for further investigation of soil reinforcement and slope protection mechanisms of taproot-type shrub species in the loess area of northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and similar areas.

Effects of formal credit on pastoral household expense: Evidence from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau of China

Formal credit is critical in agricultural production,allowing more expenditure and productive input,thereby improving farmers'welfare.In pastoral China,formal financial institutions are gradually increasing.However,a limited understanding remains of how formal credit affects herders'household expenses.Based on a survey of 544 herders from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau of China,this study adopted the propensity score matching approach to identify the effect of formal credit on herders'total household expenses,daily expenses,and productive expenses.The results found that average age,grassland mortgage,and other variables significantly affected herders'participation in formal credit.Formal credit could significantly improve household expenses,especially productive expenses.A heterogeneity analysis showed that formal credit had a greater impact on the household total expense for those at higher levels of wealth;however,it significantly affected the productive expense of herders at lower wealth levels.Moreover,the mediating effect indicated that formal credit could affect herders'household income,thus influencing their household expenses.Finally,this study suggests that policies should improve herders'accessibility to formal credit.

Crustal and uppermost mantle structure of the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau from joint inversion of surface wave dispersions and receiver functions with P velocity constraints

Lithospheric structure beneath the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is of vital significance for studying the geodynamic processes of crustal thickening and expansion of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. We conducted a joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersions with P-wave velocity constraints using data from the Chin Array Ⅱ temporary stations deployed across the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Prior to joint inversion, we applied the H-κ-c method(Li JT et al., 2019) to the receiver function data in order to correct for the back-azimuthal variations in the arrival times of Ps phases and crustal multiples caused by crustal anisotropy and dipping interfaces. High-resolution images of vS, crustal thickness, and vP/vSstructures in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau were simultaneously derived from the joint inversion. The seismic images reveal that crustal thickness decreases outward from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The stable interiors of the Ordos and Alxa blocks exhibited higher velocities and lower crustal vP/vSratios. While, lower velocities and higher vP/vSratios were observed beneath the Qilian Orogen and Songpan-Ganzi terrane(SPGZ), which are geologically active and mechanically weak, especially in the mid-lower crust.Delamination or thermal erosion of the lithosphere triggered by hot asthenospheric flow contributes to the observed uppermost mantle low-velocity zones(LVZs) in the SPGZ. The crustal thickness, vS, and vP/vSratios suggest that whole lithospheric shortening is a plausible mechanism for crustal thickening in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, supporting the idea of coupled lithospheric-scale deformation in this region.

Recent advances in hydrology studies under changing permafrost on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

Due to the great influences of both climate warming and human activities,permafrost on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau(QXP)has been undergoing considerable degradation.Continuous degradation of plateau permafrost dramatically modifies the regional water cycle and hydrological processes,affecting the hydrogeological conditions,and ground hydrothermal status in cold regions.Permafrost thawing impacts the ecological environment,engineering facilities,and carbon storage functions,releasing some major greenhouse gases and exacerbating climate change.Despite the utilization of advanced research methodologies to investigate the changing hydrological processes and the corresponding influencing factors in permafrost regions,there still exist knowledge gaps in multivariate data,quantitative analysis of permafrost degradation's impact on various water bodies,and systematic hydrological modeling on the QXP.This review summarizes the main research methods in permafrost hydrology and elaborates on the impacts of permafrost degradation on regional precipitation distribution patterns,changes in surface runoff,expansion of thermokarst lakes/ponds,and groundwater dynamics on the QXP.Then,we discuss the current inadequacies and future research priorities,including multiple methods,observation data,and spatial and temporal scales,to provide a reference for a comprehensive analysis of the hydrological and environmental effects of permafrost degradation on the QXP under a warming climate.

Glacial lakes under climate change: the imperative for comparative studies of microbial carbon metabolism in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the Arctic

Glacial lakes,intimately linked to glacier termini,are crucial landscape features of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau(QXP,Qinghai-Tibet Plateau)and the Arctic.Climate warming has accelerated glacier retreat and the rapid expansion of glacial lakes in both regions.Despite being typically considered harsh environments,these lakes serve as vital reservoirs for microbial biodiversity and carbon metabolism.In the face of climate change,glacial lake ecosystems over the QXP and the Arctic are undergoing unprecedentedtransformations.Thisopinioneditorial highlights the significance of conducting research and establishing long-term monitoring programs focused on microbial carbon metabolism in these glacial lakes.

Influence of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau snow cover on interannual variability of Western North Pacific tropical cyclone tracks

Track density function(TDF)was computed for all Western North Pacific tropical cyclones(WNP TCs)tracks from 1950 to 2018,and the TDFs were further investigated using principal component analysis(PCA)to analyze their inter-annual spatial and temporal variability.Then,the relationships between each empirical orthogonal function(EOF)mode and the typhoon count,typhoon landfall count,track pattern,and the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau snow cover(QXPSC)were examined,and the possible physical mechanisms implied by the statistical relationship were explored.The results show the QXPSC significantly affected the surface-atmosphere heat exchange through snow cover(SC)level,then changed the East Asian summer monsoon regional circulation pattern,influenced the subtropical high-pressure system strength and location,and ultimately affected the WNP TCs track patterns and thus changed their landfall locations.

Interannual and Decadal Variations of Snow Cover overQinghai-Xizang Plateau and Their Relationships to Summer Monsoon Rainfall in China

Interannual and decadal variations of winter snow cover over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QXP) are analyzed by using monthly mean snow depth data set of 60 stations over QXP for the period of 1958 through 1992. It is found that the winter snow cover over QXP bears a pronounced quasi-biennial oscillation, and it underwent an obvious decadal transition from a poor snow cover period to a rich snow cover period in the late 1970’s during the last 40 years. It is shown that the summer rainfall in the eastern China is closely associated with the winter snow cov-er over QXP not only in the interannual variation but also in the decadal variation. A clear relationship ex-ists in the quasi-biennial oscillation between the summer rainfall in the northern part of North China and the southern China and the winter snow cover over QXP. Furthermore, the summer rainfall in the four cli-mate divisions of Qinling-Daba Mountains, the Yangtze-Huaihe River Plain, the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River showed a remarkable transition from drought period to rainy period in the end of 1970’s, in good correspondence with the decadal transition of the winter snow cover over QXP. Key words Snow cover over Qinghai-Xizang Plateau - Summer monsoon rainfall in China - Interannual and decadal variations This study was supported by the National Key Programme for Developing Basic Sciences (G 1998040900 Part I).

Review of numerical simulation on the dy-namics of Qinghai-Xizang plateau

In recent twenty years, much numerical simulation work has been done on the evolution of Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) plateau. In this paper some principal numerical models and results are reviewed and analyzed. The earlier plane stress or plane strain model has much discrepancy with the actual deformation of Qinghai-Xizang plateau, such as the thickening of Tibetan crust and the lateral extrusion of Tibet along strike-slip faults. The thin viscous sheet model and the thin-plate model may simulate the change of the crustal thickness and the deformation pro-duced by gravitational force. It is suitable for studying the large-scale and long-time deformation. The influence of faults on the deformation of Tibetan plateau should be further studied.

Calculation of Solar Albedo and Radiation Equilibrium over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and Analysisof Their Climatic Features

Using radiation data from the Automatic Weather Stations (AWSs) for thermal balance obser-vations, which were set up at Lhasa, Nagqu, Xigaze and Nyingchi by the Sino-Japanese Asian Monsoon Mechanism Co-operative Project in 1993–1996, and 1985–1989 Earth Radiation Balance Experiment (ERBE) measurements of Langley Research Center/NASA of US, and 1961–1996 monthly mean data from 148 surface stations over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QXP) and its neighborhood, study is performed on empirical calculation methods of surface albedo, surface total radiation, planetary albedo and outgoing longwave radiation with the climatic features of radiation balance at the surface and the atmospheric top examined. Evidences suggest that the empirical formulae for surface albedo, planetary albedo, surface to-tal radiation and outgoing longwave radiation from the atmospheric top are capable of describing their seasonal and interannual variations over the QXP. The surface albedo is marked by noticeable seasonal variation and yearly mean of 0.22 with the maximum of 0.29 in January and minimum of 0.17 in July and August; in winter the albedo has great horizontal difference, bigger in the moun-tains than in the river valleys, and small in summer. The planetary albedo shows a smaller range of its annual variation with the yearly mean of 0.37, the maximum (minimum) occurring in February and March (autumn). In winter its high-value regions are mainly at Gar (Shiquanhe) in the western QXP and from the southwestern Qinghai to the northeastern Tibet and the low-value area at the northern slope of the central Himalayas; in summer, however, the albedo distribution displays clear-ly a progressive decrease from southeast to northwest. As for the surface total radiation, its values and annual varying range are smaller in the east than in the southwest. Its high-value center is at the southern slope of the Himalayas in winter and makes a conspicuous westward migration in spr-ing, remaining there for a long time, and it begins to retreat eastward in autumn. Monthly mean values of the surface net radiation are all positive and larger in summer than in winter. The net ra-diation is significantly intensified under the combined effect of surface total radiation and surface albedo from spring to early summer, resulting in the strongest sector in the mid plateau with its center staying nearly motionless from March to September, and is reduced in autumn dominantly by surface effective radiation. The earth-atmosphere system loses heat outward from October to next February and gains in other months. On an average, the plateau gains heat of 15 W m-2 on an annual basis. Key words The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau - Albedo - Radiation balance - Climatic feature (1)This work was supported under the auspices of the National (G1998040800) and CAS’s Key Project for Basic Research on Tibetan Plateau (KZ951-A1-204; KZ95T-06).

Structural Variation of an Atmospheric Heat Source over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and Its Influence on Precipitation in Northwest China

NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data and a 47-year precipitation dataset are utilized to analyze the relationship between an atmospheric heat source （hereafter called 〈 Q1 〉） over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau （QXP） and its surrounding area and precipitation in northwest China. Our main conclusions are as follows： （1） The horizontal distribution of 〈 Q1 〉 and its changing trend are dramatic over QXP in the summer. There are three strong centers of 〈 Q1 〉 over the south side of QXP with obvious differences in the amount of yearly precipitation and the number of heat sinks predominate in the arid and semi-arid regions of northwest China （NWC）, beside the northern QXP with an obvious higher intensity in years with less precipitation. （2） In the summer, the variation of the heat source＇s vertical structure is obviously different between greater and lesser precipitation years in eastern northwest China （ENWC）. The narrow heat sink belt forms between the northeast QXP and the southwestern part of Lake Baikal. In July and August of greater precipitation years, the heating center of the eastern QXP stays nearly over 35°N, and at 400 hPa of the eastern QXP, the strong upward motion of the heating center constructs a closed secondary vertical circulation cell over the northeast QXP （40~ 46~N）, which is propitious to add precipitation over the ENWC. Otherwise, the heating center shifts to the south of 30°N and disappears in July and August of lesser precipitation years, an opposite secondary circulation cell forms over the northeast QXP, which is a disadvantage for precipitation. Meanwhile, the secondary circulation cell in years with more or less precipitation over the ENWC is also related to the heat source over the Lake Baikal. （3） The vertical structure of the heat source over the western QXP has obvious differences between greater and lesser precipitation years in western northwest China in June and July. The strong/weak heat source over the western QXP produces relatively strong/weak ascending motion and correspondingly constructs a secondary circulation cell in lesser/greater precipitation years.

Changes and spatial patterns of the differences between ground and air temperature over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

The difference between ground soil and air temperature （Ts-Ta） was studied by using the data of ground and air temperature of 99 stations over the Qinghai-Xizang （Tibet） Plateau from 1960 to 2000,and its spatial distribution and time changing tendency have been diagnosed by principal component analysis and power spectral analysis methods. The results show that the values of （Ts-Ta） are the maximum in June and the minimum in December. The first three loading eigenvectors, which reflect the main spatially anomalous structure of （Ts-Ta） over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, contain the contrary changing pattern between the northwestern and the southeastern regions, the pattern response of the sea level elevation and the geography, and the pattern response of the distribution of the permafrost. There are four patterns of time evolution including the patterns of monotonous increasing or decreasing trends, the basic stability pattern and the parabola pattern with the minimum value. （Ts-Ta） has a periodic variation about 2 years. According to the spatial distribution of the third loading eigenvectors of （Ts-Ta） over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in cold season, the permafrost response region and the seasonal frozen ground response region are identified.

Evolution characteristics of Quaternary tectonic stress field in the north and east margin of Qinghai-Xizang plateau

By inversion of fault slip data for Quaternary tectonic stress field and the analysis of crustal deformation after lateTeriary. we explaincd the evolution of crustal dynamic about the north and east margin of Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet)plateau since Miocenc. From middle or late Miocene to early Pleistocene, the tectonic stress field was featured by amaximum principal compression which was coming from the collision of india Plate continued to the boundaryof the plateau. and was basically of reverse faulting type. Since the late period of early Pleistocene, Pleistocene continuedto push northward and the compressional deformation of the plateau interior increased continuously, meanwhile,N W-SE extension appeared on the east side of the plateau. This formed a favorable condition for the interior block offoe plateau to slide towards east and southeast, causing the faults surrounding the plateau to change from thrust tostrike-slip. -The contemporary tectonic stress field was formed from the late period of early Pleistocene and continuedto present. The direction of maximum principal compressional stress rotated clockwise with respect to the previoustectonic stress held. the stress field was mainly of strike-slip type.

The property, age and formation environment of the palaeokarst in Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

The karst landforms distributed on the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau can be genetically classed with the Tertiary underground karst, which were gradually exhumed to the surface with the uplift of the plateau during Quaternary period. The relative deposits of the Tertiary palaeokarst processes, such as the residuum and speleothem, were discovered recently in the southern and southeastern fringe areas of the plateau, where has geological-currently been disintegrated by the headward erosion processes of the modern river systems. The major chemical components of the clay portion of the residuum consist mainly of SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3. The clay minerals composition of the clay portion belongs to illite-kaolinite pattern for most of the residuum samples, and kaolinite-illite pattern for a few of the samples. It can be judged from the silicic acid index and the clay minerals composition that the formation of the residuum of the Plateau was in its initial phase. However, such a lower chemical weathering index only reflected the weathering degree in the bottom or lower parts of the lateritic weathering crust. The relatively intensive chemical weathering processes of the surface layers of the lateritic weathering crust could be logically speculated. The surface feature textures of quartz grains in the residuum were formed mainly by the chemical erosion, which revealed a long-term humid-tropical environment when the residuum and the palaeokarst formed.

Simulation analysis on characteristics of land surface over western Qinghai-Xizang Plateau during freez-ing-thawing period

Using the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment-Asian Monsoon-Tibet Plateau Experiment (GAME-Tibet) observa-tional data-from October 2002 through September 2003-of Gaize in the western Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QXP),the land-surface characteristics of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau are simulated by the improved land-surface model Common Land Model (CoLM).The results show that CoLM can reproduce the land-surface characteristics of plateau areas well.In the sur-face-energy balance of the western QXP in the winter half year,the sensible heat (SH) flux constituted the dominant energy,and the latent heat (LH,here and after) flux is very small.Although the LH flux nearly equals zero in freezing season,it cannot be ig-nored during the period of freezing-thawing in QXP.In the transition season from midto late-May,the frequent phase change of soil water that is caused by the freezing-thawing process leads to the increase of LH flux and decrease of the Bowen ratio.The simulation results also indicate that the changes of surface effective heat fluxes (SH and LH flux) are associated with precipitation and the frequent change between freezing and thawing processes in soil surface.

Research on the 3-D Seismic Structures in Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

Based on the recording data from the analogue and broadband digital seismic stations in and around Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau, the three dimensional (3-D) seismic velocity structures in Qinghai-Xizang Plateau were obtained by using the regional body wave tomography and surface wave tomography. The results from these two tomography methods have similar characteristics for P- and S-wave velocity structures in crust and upper mantle. They show that there are remarkable low velocity zones in the upper crust of Lhasa block in the southern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the lower crust and upper mantle of Qiangtang block in the northern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. These phenomena may be related to the different steps of collision process in southern and northern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

Late Cenozoic Geology and Paleo-environment Change in the Eastern Edge of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau

There are late Cenozoic lacustrine deposits and loess and red clay and moraines in eastern edge of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Various genetic sediments recorded rich information on late Cenozoic paleo-environment changes. Xigeda lacustrine formed during 4.2 Ma B.P.-2.6 Ma B.P. There were 9 periodic warm-cold alternations. Eolian deposition in western Sichuan began at 1.15 Ma B.P. The loess-soil sequences recorded successively 14 paleo-monsoon climate cycles. Laterite in Chengdu plain recorded 5 stages of paleoclimatic stages since 1.13 Ma B.P. There was an old glacial period of 4.3 Ma B.P. in eastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. During Quaternary, there are 5 extreme paleoclimatic events corresponding with 5 glaciations.

Relocation of earthquakes in northeastern region of Qinghai-Xizang plateau and characteristics of earthquake activity

The northeastern region of Qinghai-Xizang plateau is the junction part of the Qinghai-Xizang block, Alxa block and ordos block. To explore tectonic feature of this region 4 study profiles are selected by taking gcological background into consideration. The ML≥3.0 earthquakes located within 40 km on both sides of the selected profiles and ML≥4.0 earthquakes in the studied region have been relocated. Of the 388 relocated earthquakes, 36% shift their previously determined epicenters by more than 5 km. The amount of relocated earthquake with focal depth determination increases 50% more than that before relocation. In this quasi-trijunction region of the northeastem of Qinghai-Xizang plateau three m≥8 earthqutas occurred historically and microearthquates are quite active at present,implying a strong tectonic activity persists here to the present day.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE STUDIES ON THE QINGHAI-XIZANG PLATEAU

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is known as "the roof of the world".Its intensive uplifting has been one of the most important events in the past two million years of the earth history,which strongly affects the physical environment and human activities both in the plateau itself and in its nearby regions.As a natural laboratory in the fields of geo-science,biology,resources and environment,the Plateau has attracted worldwide attention from the academic circles.Because the main body of the plateau is located in China,Chinese scientists shoulder major responsibilities for

VARIATION OF d δ^(18)O/dT IN PRECIPITATION IN THE QINGHAI-XIZANG PLATEAU

The relations between δ18O and temperature on the different time scales were analysed,according to the data from Tuotuohe (34°13’N, 96°25’E; 4533 m a. s. l. ), Delingha (37°22’N,97°22’E; 2981 m a. s. l. ) and Xining (36°37’N, 101°46’E; 2261 m a. s. l. ) in the Qnghai-Xizang Plateau. The results show that the significance of d δ18O/dT on different time scales are different.The d δ18O/dT on the synoptic scale reflects the interdependent relation between δ18O and temperature in the short-term synoptic scale process; the d δ18O/d T on the seasonal scale reflects the relation between them whithin a year; and the d δ18O/d T on the climatic scale reflects the relation between them in the long-term climatic change. The calculated d δ18O/dT on climatic scale is very close to the theoretical values on the condition of advection transport for Tuotuohe Station. However, there are great differences between the calculated and the theoretical values for Delingha and Xining stations.

PROGRESS IN STUDIES ON GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENTS OF THE QINGHAI-XIZANG PLATEAU

The Qinghai Xizang (Tibet) Plateau area was subjected to twice uplift and planation in the Tertiary. Intense uplifting of the plateau area has given rise to drastic changes and differentiation of physical environment on the plateau and the surrounding area since 3.4 Ma B.P. Significant environmental changes with dry tendency in interior of the plateau had occurred during the last 150 ka B.P. By comparative study on several mountains of the plateau, two systems of the structure type of the altitudinal belt are identified and nine groups are subdivided . A distribution model with close relevance to highland uplift effect has been generalized. A number of striking geo ecological phenomena and their spatial pattern such as moisture corridor, dry valleys, high cold meadow zone, and high cold arid core area are investigated and discussed. Based on the thermal conditions, moisture regimes and variation in landforms of the plateau is sequentially demarcated. A tentative scheme of 2 temperature belts, 10 natural zones and 28 physical districts has been proposed not including southern slopes of the East Himalayas. The Qinghai Xizang Plateau is sensitive to “green house effect”, showing close relation with global change. Characteristics of temperature and precipitation on the plateau during the last 2000 years, and response of glaciers, snow deposit and permafrost on the plateau to global change are dealt with in the present paper.