中文

Chinese Journal of Nature ›› 2020, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (5): 355-363.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2020.05.001

• Special Issue for Scientific Expedition on Three poles •     Next Articles

To the top of the Earth: Climate and environmental changes in Mt. Qomolangma region during past 60 years#br#

KANG Shichang①②, ZHANG Yulan①②, ZHANG Qianggong②③   

  1. ①State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou 730000, China；②CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, China；③Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
  • Received:2020-06-28 Online:2020-10-25 Published:2023-06-09

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Abstract: Mt. Qomolangma is the highest mountain in the world and the hot spot of studies on global climate and environmental change. Since the late 1950s, several scientific expeditions have been carried out in the Mt. Qomolangma region, and one in situ observational research station has been established. During the past 60 years, the climate has been warming continuously in the
Mt. Qomolangma region, with the similar magnitude of temperature warming over the whole Tibetan Plateau. However, the trend
of precipitation was not significant. Mt. Qomolangma region is concentrated with glaciers, which have been experiencing largely
retreated. Consequently, the area of glacial-fed lakes expanded rapidly and the runoff increased, indicating the response of glaciers
and hydrological processes to global warming. Under the impact of climate warming, the vegetation in the Mt. Qomolangma region
has a tendency to become green. Since the industrial revolution, the Mt. Qomolangma region has been affected by the transboundary atmospheric pollutants, which has also highlighted the potential risk of secondary release of pollutants due to glacier melting.