High-altitude breakthroughs: Science steers plateau climate action

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is emerging as a key scientific frontier in China's response to climate change and ecological governance.

As glacier retreat, river changes and shifts in alpine ecosystems draw growing attention, researchers are using long-term observations and systematic studies to better understand environmental changes on the plateau and support ecological security.

A study released by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences projected that the plateau's annual mean temperature will rise by 0.98 degrees Celsius between 2025 and 2032 compared with the 1991-2020 baseline.

The warming pace is estimated to be 1.75 times faster than the observed increase from 2016 to 2023.

Researchers estimated the warming could reduce glacier volume on the plateau by around 1.4%, accelerating melt rates and placing additional pressure on regional water resources and ecosystems.

Scientists warn that changes in the plateau's glaciers and rivers could have far-reaching consequences, as the region serves as the source of many major Asian rivers.

This month, a Chinese-led study published in the journal Science found that climate warming is accelerating river meandering and channel shifts in the Himalayas, including in headwater regions of the Yarlung Zangbo River system.

Researchers said warming-driven glacier melt and changing water flows are altering river dynamics in high-altitude areas.

Scientists are also paying closer attention to the plateau's role in regulating the global climate.

Researchers from the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have identified key mechanisms behind carbon absorption in alpine grasslands across the plateau.

He Fuquan, a researcher at the institute, said the plateau's alpine ecosystem serves as a critical carbon sink.

After analyzing long-term data from 24 monitoring sites covering alpine meadows, wetlands, shrub meadows and steppes, researchers found that precipitation patterns and grassland types jointly influence the duration and intensity of seasonal carbon uptake.

Researchers said the findings could help improve prediction models for alpine carbon sinks and provide stronger scientific support for ecological security and climate response strategies in western China.

Experts say scientific findings are increasingly shaping long-term ecological governance on the plateau.

Dong Shikui, dean and full-time professor at the School of Grasslands of Beijing Forestry University and an adjunct professor at Cornell University, said China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will emphasize "holistic conservation and systematic restoration of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands and deserts."

Dong said long-term studies on the plateau showed that staged vegetation restoration and scientifically managed grassland use could improve biodiversity and ecosystem resilience under climate change. He also stressed the importance of ecological compensation policies, grassland conservation zoning and long-term restoration planning.

As climate pressures intensify on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, scientific research is playing a growing role in shaping ecological protection policies and long-term environmental governance.

Researchers say efforts ranging from glacier monitoring to grassland restoration are helping China better coordinate climate response, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development under the framework of ecological civilization.

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