Expedition of the Beilu River, a Yangtze River Source
Collection of Typical Quadrat Soil Samples
Collection and Analysis of Water Samples from the Tuotuo River, a Yangtze River Source
From July 2nd to July 9th, 2024, an 8-day scientific expedition to the source areas of the Yangtze River and Yellow River was conducted by the research team for the topic of Water Resources Utilization and Protection Strategies in Source Areas of the Yangtze River and Yellow River under a project of the National Key Research and Development Program during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
The sources of the Yangtze River and Yellow River are the ones of major rivers in China. The scientific expedition team, including Senior Engineer JIN Qiu, Senior Engineer WANG Siru, Dr. GU Yicheng and other scientific research backbones, overcame the relatively serious altitude reaction, and surveyed rivers and lakes such as the Chumar River, Beilu River, Tuotuo River, Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake on the spot. They investigated the characteristics of hydrology, meteorology, topography and soil vegetation in the source areas of the Yangtze River and Yellow River, collected water, mud and soil microbial samples, and visited Qinghai-Xizang Plateau Cryosphere Observation and Test Station of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qinghai-Beiluhe Plateau Frozen Soil Engineering Safety National Observation and Research Station, Xidatan Comprehensive Observation Field of Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tuotuo River National Benchmark Climate Station.
Through this expedition, researchers have gained a preliminary understanding of the distribution and sequential data of meteorological and hydrological stations in the source areas of the Yangtze River and Yellow River, clarified the main characteristics of water system structure and ecological pattern in the source areas, systematically understood the social and economic status of the source areas, and more deeply and intuitively felt the impacts of climate warming on hydrology, ecology, soil and water conservation, and ground subsidence in high-altitude and cold regions. They have also gained a preliminary understanding of the mechanism of the influence of snow thickness on permafrost thickness, and accumulated valuable experience in determining the distribution pattern of underground frozen soil based on regional surface vegetation patterns, laying a good foundation for subsequent research of the topic.
This scientific expedition was organized by Evolution and Impacts of Cryosphere Elements on Water Resources of the Yangtze River and Yellow River and Countermeasures, a project of the National Key Research and Development Program during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. NHRI has undertaken the 5th topic of the project, Water Resources Utilization and Protection Strategies in the Source Areas of the Yangtze River and Yellow River, with CHEN Liangang from NHRI Department of Hydrology and Water Resources serving as the topic leader. Based on the theory of regional water balance under the changing environment, this topic aims to analyze the changes in the water balance relationship of the source areas under the influence of cryosphere changes and its impacts on ecological pattern, water resources carrying capacity and water engineering, evaluate the safe utilization status and future trends of water resources, and propose adaptive utilization and protection strategies of water resources.
