Study reveals Qinghai-Xizang Plateau's important role in carbon capture

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau ecosystem absorbs an estimated 120 to 140 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, contributing 10 to 16 percent of China's total ecosystem carbon sink, according to the findings of the second Qinghai-Xizang Plateau scientific expedition and research released on Sunday.

Despite emitting 55 million tonnes of CO2 yearly, the plateau boasts a carbon surplus of over 65 million tonnes, said Yao Tandong, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and leader of the scientific research survey, at a press conference in Lhasa.

Yao added that the plateau's 1.4 million square kilometers of permafrost stores an immense 37 billion tonnes of organic carbon, accounting for over 60 percent of the plateau's total soil carbon stock.

"However, the potential thawing of deep permafrost due to future climate warming could pose a risk to its carbon sequestration capacity," Yao said.

To accurately assess the plateau's carbon sink capacity, the scientific research survey team independently developed the Global Observation-based System for Monitoring Greenhouse Gas (GONGGA) system.

The system integrates atmospheric transport modeling, CO2 concentration observations and CO2 emission inventories. It not only supports China's "dual carbon" goals with important scientific data, but also provides valuable Chinese data and methodologies for global carbon accounting and assessments.

"Going forward, the carbon sink function of the plateau can be enhanced further by improving the quality of grassland and forest ecosystems," Yao said. 

China launched the second scientific expedition and research of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in August 2017, intending to reveal the mechanism of environmental change and provide scientific support for the ecological security of the plateau.

(Cover photo designed by CGTN's Huang Ruiqi)