In October 2021, “Focusing on the Future of Science and Technology - Interpretation of Major Scientific Issues, Engineering and Technical Problems and Industrial Technology Problems in 2021”, edited by China Association for Science and Technology, has been officially published, and Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of CBCGDF, is one of the editorial board members of the book.

The topic of “How does the imbalance and instability of the ‘Water Tower of Asia’ affect the river system on the Tibetan Plateau”, recommended by China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), was selected as one of the 10 frontier scientific issues for 2021 and included in the book “Focusing on the Future of Science and Technology”.

As the third pole of the earth, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the ice and snow reservoir second only to the South Pole and the North Pole, and it has glaciers, snow, lakes, permafrost and terrestrial ecosystems, which can play a good role in regulating river runoff. It has nurtured more than 10 large rivers in Asia, and is a veritable source of all water, so it is known as the “Water Tower of Asia”. The “Water Tower of Asia” is an important source of water for the civilization of Asian rivers downstream, and the rivers that originate here are mainly the Yellow River, Yangtze River, Lancang River-Mekong River, Nujiang River-Salween River, Yarlung Tsangpo River-Brahmaputra River, Ganges River, etc., spanning a wide area in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Central Asia.

In recent decades, due to global warming, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has shown an accelerated warming trend, resulting in accelerated melting of glacial snow, significant increase in precipitation, and intensified expansion of lakes. According to the study, the “Water Tower of Asia” is developing towards the direction of imbalance and instability, i.e., the imbalance of solid and liquid water structures in the region. It is of great significance to understand the imbalance and instability of the “Water Tower of Asia” in the context of climate change by focusing on and studying the scientific issues such as the process and causes of changes in the river systems of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, their impacts and evolutionary trends. And it is also of important reference value for the study of the changes of river systems affected by other global climate changes.

Original Chinese article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/kxeyMjvrTkS3U_5duuqjsQ

Translator/Samantha

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