Shorelines are widespread and lake deposits and lake geomorphology are welldeveloped on the northern Tibetan Plateau. Through field observations of lacustrine deposits of NamCo-the highest and largest Quaternary lake ...Shorelines are widespread and lake deposits and lake geomorphology are welldeveloped on the northern Tibetan Plateau. Through field observations of lacustrine deposits of NamCo-the highest and largest Quaternary lake in Tibet, the authors found four-step shore terracescomposed of sands and clays with well-developed horizontal bedding and 3-12 m, 15-22 m, 25-30 m and35-45 m higher than the lake surface respectively, lacustrine deposits resting on the bedrocks and60-150 m higher than the lake surface, and up to approx 50 levees composed of oblate lakeshoregravels. Moreover they found lacustrine and lakeshore deposits making up the terraces and levees onthe bottoms of wide dividing valleys connecting Nam Co with the Rencoyuema, Rencogongma and Jiuru Conorthwest of Nam Co (the valley bottoms are 20 m, 90 m and 60 m higher than the above-mentionedthree lakes) and on slopes north of it, i.e. terraces II and III of Nam Co. Thus they confirm thatNam Co and Ring Co-Jiuru Co had connected with each other several times, i.e. formed a unified largelake several times, rather than had been different lakes connected only by river channels. Fromindications such as the distribution of the highest shoreline and lake deposits and geomorphology,the authors conclude that the total area of the old large lakes on the northern Tibetan Plateau is afew times larger than that of the modern lakes and that the last-stage old large lakes formed inthe interglacial interval of the last glaciation.展开更多
The Sugan Lake Basin is located in the inland arid region of northwestern China,in which groundwater is of great significance to human and ecology.Therefore,it is necessary to understand the chemical characteristics a...The Sugan Lake Basin is located in the inland arid region of northwestern China,in which groundwater is of great significance to human and ecology.Therefore,it is necessary to understand the chemical characteristics and quality of groundwater in the basin.Based on samples collected from 35 groundwater wells in Sugan Lake Basin,the spatial distribution characteristics of groundwater chemistry,main hydrogeochemical processes and groundwater quality have been discussed in this paper by using the multivariate statistics and hydrochemistry analysis methods.The results showed that the groundwater is weakly alkaline,and its total dissolved solid(TDS)and total hardness(TH) are high,with the average values of 1244.03 mg/L and 492.10 mg/L,respectively.The types of groundwater are mainly HCO_3^--SO_4^(2-)-Ca^(2+)type in the runoff area and Cl^--SO_4^(2-)-Na^+type in the catchment area.Rock weathering and ion exchange are the main controlling factors of regional groundwater chemistry,followed by evaporative crystallization,and human activities have less impact on groundwater.The spatial difference of groundwater quality is obvious,the water quality of the catchment area is not suitable for drinking,and the suitability for plant growth is also poor.The groundwater in the runoff area can be used for drinking,but the hardness is slightly higher,which is more suitable for ecological purpose.展开更多
Glacier is a common sensitivity indicator of environmental and global climate change.Examining the relationship between glacier area and climate change will help reveal glacier change mechanisms and future trends.Glac...Glacier is a common sensitivity indicator of environmental and global climate change.Examining the relationship between glacier area and climate change will help reveal glacier change mechanisms and future trends.Glacier changes are also of great significance to the regulation of regional water resources.This study selected the Hala Lake Basin in the northeastern Qinhai-Tibet Plateau as a study area,and examined the relationships between the temporal and spatial change of glaciers in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and climate change based on remote sensing imagery,climatological data,and topographic data during the past 30 years.Results showed that glacier area in the Hala Lake basin fluctuated and decreased from106.24 km2 in 1986 to 78.84 km2 in 2015,with a decreasing rate of 0.94 km2·yr-1.The number of glacier patches,mean patch area,and largest patch index all decreased from 1986 to 2015,while the splitting index increased from 1986 to 2015,indicating that the landscape fragmentation of glacier in the Hala Lake Basin was increasing significantly during the study period.Glacier area change was mainly concentrated in the slopes>25°with an altitude of 4500-5000 m,and the retreating rate of glacier of sunny slope was obviously higher than that of shady slope.Geometric center of glacier in the basin moved from southwest to northeast towards high altitude.Results of the response of glacier extent to climate change showed that temperature was the dominant factor affecting glacier area dynamic change in the Hala Lake Basin.It is predicted that in future several years,the glacier area will decrease and fragment continually as a result of global warming on the Tibetan Plateau.展开更多
Most of the thermokarst lakes are spread appreciably in Beiluhe Basin,Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,where ice-rich permafrost exists.Two typical thermokarst lakes with differing area and depth were examined to ascertain...Most of the thermokarst lakes are spread appreciably in Beiluhe Basin,Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,where ice-rich permafrost exists.Two typical thermokarst lakes with differing area and depth were examined to ascertain their age.We obtained lake-bottom samples of 50 cm length from lake BLH-A and 25 cm length from lake BLH-B.Environmental 137 Cs and 210 Pb and radiocarbon age dating techniques were applied to the 50 cm and 25 cm samples,respectively.The results indicate that the initiation of BLH-A is about 800-900 a B.P.,and approximately 1,450±30 a B.P.to 2,230±30 a B.P.for BLH-B.These results will provide scientific bases for sedimentological study and thermokarst activity in Beiluhe Basin.展开更多
Nam Co is the largest (1920 km2 in area) and highest (4718 m above sea level) lake in Tibet. According to the discovery of lake terraces and highstand lacustrine deposits at several places in Nam Co and its adjacent a...Nam Co is the largest (1920 km2 in area) and highest (4718 m above sea level) lake in Tibet. According to the discovery of lake terraces and highstand lacustrine deposits at several places in Nam Co and its adjacent areas, the authors confirm the existence of an ancient large lake in the southeastern part of the northern Tibetan Plateau. On the basis of the U-series, 14C and ESR dating, coupled with the levelling survey of lake deposits and geomorphology, the evolutionary process of the ancient large lake in the southeastern part of the northern Tibetan Plateau may fall into three stages: (1) the ancient large lake stage at 115-40 ka BP, when the ancient lake level was 140-26 m above the level of present Nam Co; (2) the outflow lake stage at 40-30 ka BP, when the ancient level was 26-19 m above the present lake level; and (3) the Nam Co stage since 30 ka BP, when the ancient lake level was < 19 m above the present lake level. During the ancient large lake stage, a large number of modern large, medium-sized and small lakes, including Nam Co, Siling Co and Zhari Namco, in the southeastern part of the northern Tibetan Plateau, were connected into a single large ancient lake, rather than several separate lakes connected by river channels. Its areal extent may have gone beyond the watersheds of the modern endorheic and exorheic drainage systems; so it may be called the 'ancient east lake', 'ancient south lake' and 'ancient west lake'. It might also be connected with other ancient lakes in the southern and western parts of the northern Tibetan Plateau to form a unified 'ancient large lake' on the northern Tibetan Plateau.展开更多
The Hohxil region in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is occupied by numerous plateau lakes, which have long been inferred as being tectonic products. However, so far little evidence has been found to support this t...The Hohxil region in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is occupied by numerous plateau lakes, which have long been inferred as being tectonic products. However, so far little evidence has been found to support this tentative inference. Field survey and morphotectonic analysis of TM satellite images in the eastern segment of the Hohxil region revealed that Kusai Lake and Yelusu Lake are S- shaped pull-apart basins, which were dominated by left strike-slip master faults trending WNW-ESE. The pull-apart distances of the two lakes are analyzed to be 〈15-20 km and 15 km respectively. Based on studies of the faulting rate, the initiation ages of the pull-apart basins are suggested to be approximately in the Early Pleistocene. The pull-apart basin tectonics is further regarded as a common mechanism for the widely distributed large lake basins in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Regional distribution of these pull-apart basins and their substantial intra-block slip suggest that a sinistral shear stress, which is independent of the distinguished strike-slip faults, has been imposed on across the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Thus, the intra-block slip may be an important expression of the eastward extrusion of the Plateau crustal material in accommodating the ongoing continent-continent convergence between India and Eurasia. The revelation of pull-apart tectonics within the Plateau hinterland provides field evidence and a possible style of deformation for the newly proposed continuous deformation by the global positioning system （GPS） measurement across the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A model, with respect to systematic tectonic landform development, for pull- apart basins is finally proposed.展开更多
Lakes in Tibet Plateau with little effects of human activities serve as important indicators of climate change. This study analysed remote sensing data and long term climate variables to examine the hydrological respo...Lakes in Tibet Plateau with little effects of human activities serve as important indicators of climate change. This study analysed remote sensing data and long term climate variables to examine the hydrological response of lakes in Nam Co Basin. The area changes of lakes were extracted by Landsat TM/ETM＋ and analysed by SRTM 3 DEM. And the ICESat elevation data between 2003 and 2009 were used to observe the lake level of the Nam Co Lake. The results show that the number of new formed glacier lakes increased by 36% and the area of glacier lakes increased by 36.7%（0.97 km^2） from 1991 to 2011. At the same time, the surface area of the Nam Co Lake expanded by 3.71%（72.64 km^2） of the original size in 1991, with a tendency value of 3.63 km^2 per year. The lake level of the Nam Co Lake shows an increase tendency of 0.24 m per year during 2003-2009. These variations appear to be related to an increase in mean annual temperature of 0.06 oC per year, and an increase in annual precipitation of 2.1 mm per year in summer in the last two decades. The increased number of lakes and increased area of glacial lakes reached a peak at an altitude of 5 500-5 600 m a.s.l.. The number of new formed glacier lakes and the area of glacier lakes tend to higher altitudes. Climate change has an important impact on the variation of the glacier lakes and the Nam Co Lake.展开更多
文摘Shorelines are widespread and lake deposits and lake geomorphology are welldeveloped on the northern Tibetan Plateau. Through field observations of lacustrine deposits of NamCo-the highest and largest Quaternary lake in Tibet, the authors found four-step shore terracescomposed of sands and clays with well-developed horizontal bedding and 3-12 m, 15-22 m, 25-30 m and35-45 m higher than the lake surface respectively, lacustrine deposits resting on the bedrocks and60-150 m higher than the lake surface, and up to approx 50 levees composed of oblate lakeshoregravels. Moreover they found lacustrine and lakeshore deposits making up the terraces and levees onthe bottoms of wide dividing valleys connecting Nam Co with the Rencoyuema, Rencogongma and Jiuru Conorthwest of Nam Co (the valley bottoms are 20 m, 90 m and 60 m higher than the above-mentionedthree lakes) and on slopes north of it, i.e. terraces II and III of Nam Co. Thus they confirm thatNam Co and Ring Co-Jiuru Co had connected with each other several times, i.e. formed a unified largelake several times, rather than had been different lakes connected only by river channels. Fromindications such as the distribution of the highest shoreline and lake deposits and geomorphology,the authors conclude that the total area of the old large lakes on the northern Tibetan Plateau is afew times larger than that of the modern lakes and that the last-stage old large lakes formed inthe interglacial interval of the last glaciation.
基金financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(41761047,41661005,41661084,41861009 and 41261104)National Natural Science Foundation innovation research group science foundation of China(41421061)Autonomous project of State Key Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences(SKLCS-ZZ-2017)
文摘The Sugan Lake Basin is located in the inland arid region of northwestern China,in which groundwater is of great significance to human and ecology.Therefore,it is necessary to understand the chemical characteristics and quality of groundwater in the basin.Based on samples collected from 35 groundwater wells in Sugan Lake Basin,the spatial distribution characteristics of groundwater chemistry,main hydrogeochemical processes and groundwater quality have been discussed in this paper by using the multivariate statistics and hydrochemistry analysis methods.The results showed that the groundwater is weakly alkaline,and its total dissolved solid(TDS)and total hardness(TH) are high,with the average values of 1244.03 mg/L and 492.10 mg/L,respectively.The types of groundwater are mainly HCO_3^--SO_4^(2-)-Ca^(2+)type in the runoff area and Cl^--SO_4^(2-)-Na^+type in the catchment area.Rock weathering and ion exchange are the main controlling factors of regional groundwater chemistry,followed by evaporative crystallization,and human activities have less impact on groundwater.The spatial difference of groundwater quality is obvious,the water quality of the catchment area is not suitable for drinking,and the suitability for plant growth is also poor.The groundwater in the runoff area can be used for drinking,but the hardness is slightly higher,which is more suitable for ecological purpose.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation of China (41730854, 41877157, 41530854)the Project supported by State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG1604)+2 种基金the Project supported by State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (2017-KF-15)the Project of Shandong Province Higher Educational Science and Technology Program (J17KA192)the National Key Research and Development Plan of Shandong Province (2018GSF117021)
文摘Glacier is a common sensitivity indicator of environmental and global climate change.Examining the relationship between glacier area and climate change will help reveal glacier change mechanisms and future trends.Glacier changes are also of great significance to the regulation of regional water resources.This study selected the Hala Lake Basin in the northeastern Qinhai-Tibet Plateau as a study area,and examined the relationships between the temporal and spatial change of glaciers in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and climate change based on remote sensing imagery,climatological data,and topographic data during the past 30 years.Results showed that glacier area in the Hala Lake basin fluctuated and decreased from106.24 km2 in 1986 to 78.84 km2 in 2015,with a decreasing rate of 0.94 km2·yr-1.The number of glacier patches,mean patch area,and largest patch index all decreased from 1986 to 2015,while the splitting index increased from 1986 to 2015,indicating that the landscape fragmentation of glacier in the Hala Lake Basin was increasing significantly during the study period.Glacier area change was mainly concentrated in the slopes>25°with an altitude of 4500-5000 m,and the retreating rate of glacier of sunny slope was obviously higher than that of shady slope.Geometric center of glacier in the basin moved from southwest to northeast towards high altitude.Results of the response of glacier extent to climate change showed that temperature was the dominant factor affecting glacier area dynamic change in the Hala Lake Basin.It is predicted that in future several years,the glacier area will decrease and fragment continually as a result of global warming on the Tibetan Plateau.
基金supported by the State Key Development Program of Basic Research of China (973 Plan,2012CB026101)the Open Foundation of Key Laboratory of Highway Construction & Maintenance Technology in Permafrost Region,CCCC First Highway Consultants Co.Ltd.the Independent Project of State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering,CAS (Grant No.SKLFSE-ZY-14)
文摘Most of the thermokarst lakes are spread appreciably in Beiluhe Basin,Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,where ice-rich permafrost exists.Two typical thermokarst lakes with differing area and depth were examined to ascertain their age.We obtained lake-bottom samples of 50 cm length from lake BLH-A and 25 cm length from lake BLH-B.Environmental 137 Cs and 210 Pb and radiocarbon age dating techniques were applied to the 50 cm and 25 cm samples,respectively.The results indicate that the initiation of BLH-A is about 800-900 a B.P.,and approximately 1,450±30 a B.P.to 2,230±30 a B.P.for BLH-B.These results will provide scientific bases for sedimentological study and thermokarst activity in Beiluhe Basin.
文摘Nam Co is the largest (1920 km2 in area) and highest (4718 m above sea level) lake in Tibet. According to the discovery of lake terraces and highstand lacustrine deposits at several places in Nam Co and its adjacent areas, the authors confirm the existence of an ancient large lake in the southeastern part of the northern Tibetan Plateau. On the basis of the U-series, 14C and ESR dating, coupled with the levelling survey of lake deposits and geomorphology, the evolutionary process of the ancient large lake in the southeastern part of the northern Tibetan Plateau may fall into three stages: (1) the ancient large lake stage at 115-40 ka BP, when the ancient lake level was 140-26 m above the level of present Nam Co; (2) the outflow lake stage at 40-30 ka BP, when the ancient level was 26-19 m above the present lake level; and (3) the Nam Co stage since 30 ka BP, when the ancient lake level was < 19 m above the present lake level. During the ancient large lake stage, a large number of modern large, medium-sized and small lakes, including Nam Co, Siling Co and Zhari Namco, in the southeastern part of the northern Tibetan Plateau, were connected into a single large ancient lake, rather than several separate lakes connected by river channels. Its areal extent may have gone beyond the watersheds of the modern endorheic and exorheic drainage systems; so it may be called the 'ancient east lake', 'ancient south lake' and 'ancient west lake'. It might also be connected with other ancient lakes in the southern and western parts of the northern Tibetan Plateau to form a unified 'ancient large lake' on the northern Tibetan Plateau.
基金supported by China Geological Survey (No.1212010610103 and 200313000005)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.40672137 and 40372104).
文摘The Hohxil region in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is occupied by numerous plateau lakes, which have long been inferred as being tectonic products. However, so far little evidence has been found to support this tentative inference. Field survey and morphotectonic analysis of TM satellite images in the eastern segment of the Hohxil region revealed that Kusai Lake and Yelusu Lake are S- shaped pull-apart basins, which were dominated by left strike-slip master faults trending WNW-ESE. The pull-apart distances of the two lakes are analyzed to be 〈15-20 km and 15 km respectively. Based on studies of the faulting rate, the initiation ages of the pull-apart basins are suggested to be approximately in the Early Pleistocene. The pull-apart basin tectonics is further regarded as a common mechanism for the widely distributed large lake basins in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Regional distribution of these pull-apart basins and their substantial intra-block slip suggest that a sinistral shear stress, which is independent of the distinguished strike-slip faults, has been imposed on across the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Thus, the intra-block slip may be an important expression of the eastward extrusion of the Plateau crustal material in accommodating the ongoing continent-continent convergence between India and Eurasia. The revelation of pull-apart tectonics within the Plateau hinterland provides field evidence and a possible style of deformation for the newly proposed continuous deformation by the global positioning system （GPS） measurement across the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A model, with respect to systematic tectonic landform development, for pull- apart basins is finally proposed.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41401076 and 91125009)the Ministry of Land and Resources of the People’s Republic of China (Nos. 12120113038400 and 1212010818093)+2 种基金the International Cooperation and Exchange between China and Russia (No. 41411130203)the "China Scholarship Council (CSC) Scholarship Program" and the Environmental Geology Research Group of China University of Geosciencesthe USGS, China Meteorological Data Sharing Service System, CSI-CGIAR, for providing Landsat data, meteorological data and the DEM data for this study
文摘Lakes in Tibet Plateau with little effects of human activities serve as important indicators of climate change. This study analysed remote sensing data and long term climate variables to examine the hydrological response of lakes in Nam Co Basin. The area changes of lakes were extracted by Landsat TM/ETM＋ and analysed by SRTM 3 DEM. And the ICESat elevation data between 2003 and 2009 were used to observe the lake level of the Nam Co Lake. The results show that the number of new formed glacier lakes increased by 36% and the area of glacier lakes increased by 36.7%（0.97 km^2） from 1991 to 2011. At the same time, the surface area of the Nam Co Lake expanded by 3.71%（72.64 km^2） of the original size in 1991, with a tendency value of 3.63 km^2 per year. The lake level of the Nam Co Lake shows an increase tendency of 0.24 m per year during 2003-2009. These variations appear to be related to an increase in mean annual temperature of 0.06 oC per year, and an increase in annual precipitation of 2.1 mm per year in summer in the last two decades. The increased number of lakes and increased area of glacial lakes reached a peak at an altitude of 5 500-5 600 m a.s.l.. The number of new formed glacier lakes and the area of glacier lakes tend to higher altitudes. Climate change has an important impact on the variation of the glacier lakes and the Nam Co Lake.
