Response of Freezing/Thawing Indexes to the Wetting Trend under Warming Climate Conditions over the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau during 1961–2010:A Numerical Simulation

Since the 1990s,the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau(QTP)has experienced a strikingly warming and wetter climate that alters the thermal and hydrological properties of frozen ground.A positive correlation between the warming and thermal degradation in permafrost or seasonally frozen ground(SFG)has long been recognized.Still,a predictive relationship between historical wetting under warming climate conditions and frozen ground has not yet been well demonstrated,despite the expectation that it will become even more important because precipitation over the QTP has been projected to increase continuously in the near future.This study investigates the response of the thermal regime to historical wetting in both permafrost and SFG areas and examines their relationships separately using the Community Land Surface Model version 4.5.Results show that wetting before the 1990s across the QTP mainly cooled the permafrost body in the arid and semiarid zones,with significant correlation coefficients of 0.60 and 0.48,respectively.Precipitation increased continually at the rate of 6.16 mm decade–1 in the arid zone after the 1990s but had a contrasting warming effect on permafrost through a significant shortening of the thawing duration within the active layer.However,diminished rainfall in the humid zone after the 1990s also significantly extended the thawing duration of SFG.The relationship between the ground thawing index and precipitation was significantly negatively correlated(−0.75).The dual effects of wetting on the thermal dynamics of the QTP are becoming critical because of the projected increases in future precipitation.

The Relationship of Black-necked Crane Migration to the Uplift of the Qinghai-tibetan Plateau

Bird migration is a seasonal movement between breeding and wintering grounds.Opinions are widely divided on the reasons for this movement.According to biological data including:geographic distribution,reproductive physiology,comparison of breeding and wintering habitats,geological data including Qinghai Tibetan Plateau uplift and Quatemary Period glaciation,it is inferred that bird migration is a survival mechanism,and that migration originated on the breeding grounds.

The difference of atmospheric chemical loadings shown by electrical conductivity of snow and ice between Antarctica, Arctic and Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The relationship of ECM with ice acidity and impurities concentrations are much different between the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau and the polar regions. On the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, ECM is dependent on the mineral ions (i.e., Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , SO 2- 4, etc.) mainly derived from crustal sources, thus displays a positive linear correlation between ECM and these ions. While in polar ice sheets, however, ECM of snow and ice is mainly dependent on the acidic roots such as Cl -, SO 2- 4 and NO - 3 that mostly come from ocean. Therefore, there is good relationship between ECM and concentration of H +. However, the relationship between ECM and major ions has complicated geographical differentiation in the whole Arctic. For instance, there no longer exits the same simple relationship in the central Arctic as that in the Greenland Ice Sheet, probably due to the disturbance of Arctic haze. In general, ECM of snow and ice is a potential indicator of atmospheirc envirmment of cold regions.

A comparison of climatic change between Svalbard in Arctic and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Discussion is focused on the characteristics of climatic change in Svalbard for the last 80 a, there the climate tend to be slightly warming. But the decreasing of temperature is an abnormal phenomenon in the background of global temperature increasing since the mid 1970s in Svalbard. By analysis of temperature and precipitation at key stations in the last 40 a, it is concluded that in climatic change Svalbard may be compared with the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau, though there are differences that are caused by other factors.

Last Deglaciation Climatic Fluctuation Record by the Palaeo-Daocheng Ice Cap, Southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The last deglaciation, a key period for understanding present and future climate changes, has long been the hot topic for palaeoclimatological study. The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau（QTP） is often a target study area for understanding hemispheric, or even global environment changes. The glacial landforms on the QTP provide a unique perspective for its climate change. In order to investigate the onset of the last deglaciation at the QTP and its regional correlation, the terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides（TCN） 10 Be and 26 Al surface exposure dating was chosen to date the roche moutonnée, the polished surface and the moraine debris located at the palaeo-Daocheng Ice Cap（pDIC）, southeastern QTP. Our results show that the onset of the last deglaciation is at about 19 ka, followed by another warming event occurring around 15 ka in the p-DIC area. These timings agree well with other records, e.g. equivalent with a rapid sea level rise at 19 ka and the onset of B？lling warming event at about 15 ka. Thus, our new data can provide good reveal constraint on the climate evolution at the QTP.

Evapotranspiration and Its Energy Exchange in Alpine Meadow Ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

To understand the water and energy exchange on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, we explored the characteristics of evapotranspiration （ET） and energy fluxes from 2002 to 2005 over a Kobresia meadow ecosystem using the eddy covariance method. The ratio of annual ET to precipitation （P） of meadow ecosystem was about 60%, but varied greatly with the change of season from summer to winter. The annual ET/P in meadow was lower than that in shrub, steppe and wetland ecosystems of this plateau. The incident solar radiation （Rs） received by the meadow was obviously higher than that of lowland in the same latitude; however the ratio of net radiation （Rn） to Rs with average annual value of 0.44 was significantly lower than that in the same latitude. The average annual ET was about 390 mm for 2002-2005, of which more than 80% occurred in growing season from May to September. The energy consumed on the ET was about 44% of net radiation in growing season, which was lower than that of shrub, steppe and wetland on this plateau. This study demonstrates that the Kobresia meadow may prevent the excessive water loss through evapotranspiration from the ecosystem into the atmosphere in comparison to the shrub, steppe and wetland ecosystems of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties of an alpine meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

Climate warming and livestock grazing are known to have great influences on alpine ecosystems like those of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau （QTP） in China. However, it is lacking of studies on the effects of warming and grazing on plant and soil properties in these alpine ecosystems. In this study, we reported the related research from manipulative experiment in 2010-2012 in the QTP. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual and combined effects of warming and clipping on plant and soil properties in the alpine meadow ecosystem. Infrared radiators were used to simulate climate warming starting in July 2010, while clipping was performed once in Octo- ber 2011 to simulate the local livestock grazing. The experiment was designed as a randomized block consisting of five replications and four treatments： control （CK）, warming （W）, clipping （C） and warming＋clipping combination （WC）. The plant and soil properties were investigated in the growing season of the alpine meadow in 2012. The results showed that W and WC treatments significantly decreased relative humidity at 20-cm height above ground as well as significantly increases air temperature at the same height, surface temperature, and soil temperature at the depth of 0-30 cm. However, the C treatment did not significantly decrease soil moisture and soil temperature at the depth of 0-60 cm. Relative to CK, vegetation height and species number increased significantly in W and WC treatment, respectively, while vegetation aboveground biomass decreased significantly in C treatment in the early growing season. However, vegetation cover, species diversity, belowground biomass and soil properties at the depth of 0-30 cm did not differ significantly in W, C and WC treatments. Soil moisture increased at the depth of 40-100 cm in W and WC treatments, while belowground biomass, soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen increased in the 30-50 cm soil layer in W, C and WC treatments. Although the initial responses of plant and soil properties to experimental warming and clipping were slow and weak, the drought induced by the down- ward shift of soil moisture in the upper soil layers may induce plant belowground biomass to transfer to the deeper soil layers. This movement would modify the distributions of soil activated carbon, organic carbon and total nitrogen However, long-term data collection is needed to further explain this interesting phenomenon.

Cosmogenic ^(10)Be and ^(26)Al Chronology of the Last Glaciation of the Palaeo-Daocheng Ice Cap,Southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The glacial landforms of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau （QTP） provide a unique opportunity to research hemispheric and global environmental changes. In this study, we focus on the glacial history of the palaeo-Daocheng Ice Cap （p-DIC） in the southeastern QTP during the last glacial cycle. Based on field investigations, morphostratigraphy, and surface exposure dating of roche moutonnée, polished surface and moraine debris through the terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides （TCN） ^10Be and ^26Al. We identify glacial deposits of the last deglaciation, with minimum ages of 14.9±1.3-18.7±1.7 ka, the Last Glacial Maximum （LGM） of 24.7±2.2 ka, and the early part of the last glacial period （marine oxygen isotope stage （MIS） 3） of 37.1±3.4-45.2±3.9 ka. Our results show that in this region, the extent of the glacial advance during MIS 3 was larger than that during the traditional LGM （MIS 2）. These ages are consistent with prior chronologies, and the ^10Be age is consistent with the ^26Al age for the same sample. Thus, these data provide reliable constraints on climate change in the QTP, during the last glaciation.

Chronological Link Between the Abrupt Change of the Loess Grain Size Sequence and the Formation of River Terraces on the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Since the Late Early-Pleistocene

Based on the study of magnetostratigraphy,magnetic susceptibility and grain size of Garze A section on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau since the late early-Pleistocene,the basal age of Garze loess is located at～1.16 MaBP and a series of abrupt paleoclimatic changes is detected.The times of abrupt changes are of distinct series features,and the interval between each two adjacent abrupt changes is～50 kyr or～100 kyr.The most significant abrupt changes occur at around 1.06,0.85,0.6,0.46,0.39 and 0.14 MaBP.There is a chronological link between the abrupt changes of paleoclimate and the formation of river terraces and it is almost simultaneous with a strengthening trend of neotectonic activities.Therefore,maybe the climatic transition controll the timing of terrace formation,and the tectonic uplift originate potential energy and has a direct effect on channel incision, both the climatic transition and the tectonic uplift are important.Terraces are the products of the interaction of instable climatic variations and tectonic uplift.Like the loess-paleosol sequences,river terrace sequences are also controlled by the climate-tectonic coupling system and are ruled by climate-tectonic gyration with a～100 kyr paracycle,which may be the short eccentricity period of the earth.

Deformation at the Easternmost Altyn Tagh Fault: Constraints on the Growth of the Northern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

How the Altyn Tagh fault(ATF) extends eastwards is one of the key questions in the study of the growth of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Detailed fieldwork at the easternmost part of the ATF shows that the ATF extends eastward and bypasses the Kuantan Mountain;it does not stop at the Kuantan Mountain, but connects with the northern Heishan fault in the east. The ATF does not enter the Alxa Block but extends eastward along the southern Alxa Block to the Jintanan Mountain. The Heishan fault is not a thrust fault but a sinistral strike-slip fault with a component of thrusting and is a part of the ATF. Further to the east, the Heishan fault may connect with the Jintananshan fault. A typical strike-slip duplex develops in the easternmost part of the ATF. The cut and deformed Quaternary sediments and displaced present gullies along the easternmost ATF indicate that it is an active fault. The local highest Mountain(i.e., the Kuantan Mountain) in the region forms in a restraining bend of the ATF due to the thrusting and uplifting. The northward growth of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and the active deformation in South Mongolia are realized by sinistral strike-slipping on a series of NE–SW-trending faults and thrusting in restraining bends along the strike-slip faults with the northeastward motion of blocks between these faults.

Driving forces of land use and land cover change (LUCC) in the Zoige Wetland, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The Zoige Wetland is located in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, which is highly sensitive to global environment change and human disturbance because of its high elevation and cold environment, thus, it＇s a hotspot for land use and land cover change （LUCC） research. We used Landsat MSS images from 1975, Landsat ETM images from 2000, and Landsat TM images fi：om 1990 and 2005 to assess the LUCC in the study area, using GIS techniques, as well as topographic, vegetation, and soil maps combined with field investigations. The monitoring result shows that the study area＇s environment degraded rapidly between 1975 and 2005, including wetland shrinkage from 5,308 km2 to 4,980 lan2, sandy land expansion from 112 krn2 to 137 krn2, forest land decreasing from 5,686 km2 to 5,443 km2, and grassland degradation from 12,309 km2 to 10,672 km2. According to the analysis of meteorological data and social-economic statistical data, we concluded that the LUCC in the Zoige Wetland was caused by both natural and anthropogenic factors, but human activities were primarily responsible for the observed LUCC, thereby, we suggest human behaviors must be adjusted to control environmental degradation.

Responses of Alpine Wetlands to Climate Changes on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Based on Remote Sensing

The alpine wetlands in QTP(Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau)have been profoundly impacted along with global climate changes.We employ satellite datasets and climate data to explore the relationships between alpine wetlands and climate changes based on remote sensing data.Results show that:1)the wetland NDVI(Normalized Difference Vegetation Index)and GPP(Gross Primary Production)were more sensitive to air temperature than to precipitation rate.The wetland ET(evapotranspiration)across alpine wetlands was greatly correlated with precipitation rate.2)Alpine wetlands responses to climate changes varied spatially and temporally due to different geographic environments,variety of wetland formation and human disturbances.3)The vegetation responses of the Zoige wetland was the most noticeable and related to the temperature,while the GPP and NDVI of the Qiangtang Plateau and Gyaring-Ngoring Lake were significantly correlated with both temperature and precipitation.4)ET in the Zoige wetland showed a significantly positive trend,while ET in Maidika wetland and the Qiangtang plateau showed a negative trend,implying wetland degradation in those two wetland regions.The complexities of the impacts of climate changes on alpine wetlands indicate the necessity of further study to understand and conserve alpine wetland ecosystems.

CCA Inferred Environmental Implications of Common Ostracods on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

103 surface sediment samples in 71 water bodies, such as lakes with different salinity, swamps, shallow puddles and rivers on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau （QTP）, were collected to study the ecological distribution of living ostracods and their environmental implications. Total of 12 genus and 45 species living ostracods are identified. According to the frequencies and abundance of ostracods occurrence, Limnocythere dubiosa, Limnocytherellina kunlunensis, llyocypris bradyi, Candona candida, Eucypris rischtanica and Leucocythere dilatata are the common species on the QTP, with occurrence frequency of more than 8 and abundance of more than 570 in the 71 water bodies. Among them, L. dubiosa, occurring in 28 water bodies with 2177 shells, is the most widely distributed ostracod in this research. Canonical Correspondence Analysis （CCA） indicates high correlation between species and environmental variables, suggesting that the occurrence of species is strongly related to the changes in ecological conditions of habitats. Among eight environmental factors, salinity and pH value are the most affective variables that influence the species occurrence. L. kunlunensis is positively correlated with salinity while E. rischtanica is negatively correlated with salinity. C. candida has a positive correlation with salinity, as does I. bradyi although there is not such a strong correlation. L. dubiosa displays a positive correlation with pH value. Consequently, we discuss the environmental implications of the common living ostracods on the QTP based on the CCA as well as the distribution of ostracod species in different salinity and pH values water. L. dubiosa, L. kunlunensis and E. rischtanica are euryhaline species, among which, L. dubiosa is the most adaptable species on the QTP with large occurrence in sundry salinity water and the most widely adaptive range for pH values. L. kunlunensis prefers to saline water while E. rischtanica prefers to fresh water. Both L. kunlunensis and E. rischtanica can live in water from faintly acid to alkaline, in contrast, L. dubiosa only appears in neutral and alkaline water bodies. L bradyi only occurs in fresh water and oligohaline water with a large pH tolerance range tolerance range from weakly acidic water to alkaline water weakly acidic water to alkaline water. C. Candida lives in freshwater, with pH value above eight. The six common species reach maximum abundance in alkaline water （pH 8-10） except for llyocypris bradyi.

Hydrogen isotopic composition of plant leaf wax in response to soil moisture in an arid ecosystem of the northeast Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

The hydrogen isotopic composition of plant leaf wax（δDwax） is used as an important tool for paleohydrologic reconstruction. However, the understanding of the relative importance of environmental and biological factors in determining δDwax values still remains incomplete. To identify the effects of soil moisture and plant physiology on δDwax values in an arid ecosystem, and to explore the implication of these values for paleoclimatic reconstruction, we measured δD values of soil water（δDwater） and δDwax values in surface soils along two distance transects extending from the lakeshore to wetland to dryland around Lake Qinghai and Lake Gahai on the northeast Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that the δDwater values were negatively correlated with soil water content（SWC）（R^2=0.9166）, and ranged from –67‰ to –46‰ with changes in SWC from 6.2% to 42.1% in the arid areas of the Gangcha（GCh） and Gahai（GH） transects. This indicated that evaporative D-enrichment in soil water was sensitive to soil moisture in an arid ecosystem. Although the shift from grasses to shrubs with increasing aridity occurred in the arid area of the GH transect, the δDwax values in surface soils from the arid areas of the two transects still showed a negative correlation with SWC（R^2=0.6835）, which may be due to the controls of primary evaporative D-enrichment in the soil water and additional transpirational D-enrichment in the leaf water on the δDwaxvalues. Our preliminary research suggested that δDwax values can potentially be applied as a paleo-humidity indicator on the northeast Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Impact of time lags on diurnal estimates of canopy transpiration and canopy conductance from sap-flow measurements of Populus cathayana in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Recently, canopy transpiration （Ec） has been often estimated by xylem sap-flow measurements. However, there is a significant time lag between sap flow measured at the base of the stem and canopy transpiration due to the capacitive exchange between the transpiration stream and stem water storage. Significant errors will be introduced in canopy conductance （gc） and canopy transpiration estimation if the time lag is neglected. In this study, a cross-correlation analysis was used to quantify the time lag, and the sap flowbased transpiration was measured to pararneterize Jarvistype models of gc and thus to simulate Ec of Populus cathayana using the Penman-Monteith equation. The results indicate that solar radiation （Rs） and vapor pressure deficit （VPD） are not fully coincident with sap flow and have an obvious lag effect; the sap flow lags behind Rs and precedes VPD, and there is a 1-h time shift between Eo and sap flow in the 30-min interval data set. A parameterized Jarvis-type gc model is suitable to predict P. cathayana transpiration and explains more than 80% of the variation observed in go, and the relative error was less than 25%, which shows a preferable simulation effect. The root mean square error （RMSEs） between the predicted and measured Ec were 1.91×10^-3 （with the time lag） and 3.12×10^-3cm h^-1 （without the time lag）. More importantly, Ec simulation precision that incorporates time lag is improved by 6% compared to the results without the time lag, with the mean relative error （MRE） of only 8.32% and the mean absolute error （MAE） of 1.48 × 10^-3 cm h^-1.

Microbial diversity in two cold springs on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The microbial diversity in Wuli Area, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau was investigated using 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analyses. A total of 117 bacterial and 66 archaeal 16S rRNA gene clones were obtained from the Wuli cold springs, The bacterial clones could be classified into Proteobacteria, Acid- obacteria, Deinococci, Sphingobacteria, Flavobacteria, Nitrospirae, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimona- detes, and unclassified-bacteria; and the archaeal clones could be classified into Crenarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota. Among the major groups, Proteobacteria and Crenarchaeota were dominant in the bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, respectively. The clone sequences obtained in Wuli cold springs were closely related to those from cold habitats, such as snow/ice/soils on high mountains or at high latitude. Especially, the microbial community composition of Wuli Area was more similar to that in Tibetan glaciers than cold environments of other locations. The data presented in this study have impli- cations for a better understanding of microbial diversity in cold springs on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

CENOZOIC BASIN EVOLUTION, STRUCTURAL STYLES OF THE QAIDAM AND AN ESTIMATE OF DENUDATION IN ADJACENT MOUNTAIN SYSTEMS, NORTHEAST QINGHAI—TIBETAN PLATEAU

Qaidam basin is located at northeast Qinghai—Xizang (Tibet) plateau, and surrounded by east Kunlun, south Qilian and Altun mountain systems. The purpose of this paper is to study the Cenozoic basin evolutionary stages, structural styles of the Qaidam, and the denudation in adjacent mountain systems through seismic profile interpretation and complemented by field observation. The Qaidam basin has experienced two tectonic stages of Paleogene—early Miocene (65～12Ma) and late Miocene—present (12～0Ma). The former is characterized by differential uplift of the mountains and subsidence of the basin, and the latter by intense compression, wrench, thrusting and folding. The compressional structural styles are mainly distributed in the Circle Hero—Range Depression of southwest Qaidam, such as Nanyishan, Youquanzi, Younan, Youshashan anticline belts and thrust faults. The wrench structural styles of the northern Qaidam include en echelon uplifts (fault—block outcrops) such as Seshitengshan, Luliangshan, Xitieshan and Eimnikshan, which are mainly composed of pre\|Sinian and Paleozoic rocks; en echelon anticlines such as Lenghu—Nanbaxian belts; and en echelon depressions such as Kunteyi, Senan and Yibei depressions, which are mainly composed of Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks.

Geochemical evidences of dry climate in the Mid-Holocene in Gonghe Basin, northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Previous research on climatic change in the Mid-Holocene in China indicates that it was a warm and humid period, accompanied by stronger summer monsoons, and it is defined as the Megatherrnal in the Holocene, or the Holocene Optimum period. However, this conclusion is mainly dh＇eeted at the monsoonal region in eastem China. In this research, we chose the Gonghe Basin in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau as the study area. Geochemical analysis of the profiles of paleosols and aeolian sand in the Santala area in the middle of the Gonghe Basin, along with OSL （optically stimulated luminescence） dating, indicates that the regional climate has experienced several warm-humid and cold-dry cycles since 11.8 ka. In particular, the Mid-Holocene （8.14.6 ka） was relatively cold and dry as evidenced by drastic fluctuations in chemical weathering degree and humidity, a higher aridity index, and sparse vegetation, accompanying increased winter monsoonal strength. In order to clarify whether this is an individual or local signal, we compared our geochemical analysis results with lake and peat records and aeolian de- posits of the monsoonal boundary region. The results indicate that the climate deteriorated widely, with declines in temperature and moisture, in the Mid-Holocene in the modem monsoonal boundary zone. Furthermore, the duration of climate deteriora- tion （relatively dry period） generally decreased from west to east in the aforementioned regions. Therefore, this dry phase in Gonghe Basin may be representative of dry events in Mid-Holocene in northem China. In addition, we discuss the reasons for this dry climate from several perspectives： （1） it probably can be attributed to a decline in summer monsoonal strength; （2） the regional evaporation loss （forced by high temperature） was not compensated by regional precipitation; （3） the thermal dynamic effect of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Effects of land-use types on soil organic carbon stocks:a case study across an altitudinal gradient within a farmpastoral area on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

A crucial region for China's ‘Grain-forGreen Policy' is located within a traditional farmpastoral area, between 2000 to 3000 m above sea level, on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.However, the responses of soil organic carbon(SOC) to different land-use patterns in this region are unclear. Here, we determined the SOC(0–20 cm) content of grasslands and forests that are being converted from farmlands, as well as in abandoned arable land and arable land in this region. The factors influencing the reclaimed lands were analyzed along altitudes from 2030 to 3132 m. Our results showed that SOC content was higher for grassland and abandoned arable land than forest and arable land. The SOC content increased with the increase in altitude for total land-use patterns. Further, the grassland and abandoned arable land had higher SOC content than the forest with almost parallel trends along the increase in altitude. However, the proportion of regulated factors of altitude and species richness varied among forest, grassland, and abandoned arable land. Our results indicated that the land-use pattern of returning farmland to grassland and abandoned arable land was more effective in terms of the SOC storage in the superficial layer in this altitude range in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, thereby being beneficial to optimizing land management in this region.

Characteristics of mineral element content of alpine vegetation in permafrost region on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The content characteristics of 16 elements （Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, and Zn） in 23 plant species collected from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region were investigated using ICP-OES. Results show that the average contents of Ca, K, Mg, Fe and P were higher than 1,000 mg/kg, those of Al, Na, Zn and Cr ranged between 10-1,000 mg/kg and those of Cu, Li, Pb and Mo were less than 10 mg/kg. The levels of Al, Ca, K, Mg and Na were within the scope of the reported terrestrial plant element content, those of Sr, Fe and Cr were higher than the average of the terrestrial plants and the maximum content of Max was higher than the upper limit of the reported Mn content. The main character of the element content was of the Ca〉K type, however, in terms of Cyperaeeae species the element content character was K〉Ca type. The contents of Ca, Li, Mg and Sr in Gramineae and Cyperaeeae species were higher than those in other species and the contents of Ca, K, Mg, Fe, E A1 and Na in all collected plants were higher than those of other elements. Zn had weak variability with the lowest coefficient （i.e., 7.81%）, while other elements had strong variability. The ratio of maximum content to minimum content indicated Ca and K had less change than other elements in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region. Element content of alpine vegetation in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region mainly shows a positive correlation, among which the correlation coefficient between Al and Pb, Al and Fe, Mo and Cr, Pb and Fe, Sr and Li were higher than 0.9, and negative correlation had no statistical signifi- cance. The correlation between Al and Fe, Mg, Mn in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region were consistent with that reported in Kunlun Mountains.