Guohui Li

and 3 more

The alpine mountain watersheds of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau stand as pivotal water sources in Asia, serving as vital reservoirs for the region’s ecohydrological balance. Their significance in sustaining the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and its surrounding areas is undeniable. A comprehensive grasp of water replenishment, the impacts of climate change, and responses to alterations in runoff dynamics on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is paramount for the effective management and utilization of water resources amidst the backdrop of global warming. This research highlights that, amidst the backdrop of climate change, there is a noticeable alteration in the runoff recharge mechanisms within certain watersheds. Concurrently, it observes a general trend towards a heightened contribution of rainfall to runoff volumes across the majority of these basins. In the major alpine basins of the Tibetan Plateau, rainfall emerges as the predominant runoff source. The contribution of groundwater to the hydrological cycle is non-negligible, and the influence of snow and ice meltwater is intricately tied to the extent of glacial and snow-covered regions. The study’s findings draw attention to a general upward trend in runoff depths across the majority of the watersheds, contrasted with a downward trend observed in certain watersheds within the Riverside Corridor. Furthermore, the study delineates the disparate effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities/land use alterations on runoff patterns. It reveals a trend in some watersheds where the impact pattern is undergoing a shift, with the majority exhibiting a progressive enlargement of the climate change impact sphere.

Heqiang Du

and 5 more

Dust emissions can lead to a series of environmental hazards, such as soil degradation, dust storms, and air pollution, and are thus a global concern. As one of the most ecologically fragile and climate-sensitive regions in the world, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has great dust emission potential. However, the dust yield and its affecting factors are not fully understood. To reduce these uncertainties on the QTP, the Hoh Xil Plateau (HXP), a typical dust source on the QTP, was selected as the study area to analyze the dust emission processes and the associated influencing factors using a robust model. The results showed that dust emissions on the HXP occurred mainly in spring and winter. The land use on the HXP is the main reason for the high dust emissions, as the grasslands and bare lands that are extensively distributed in this region contain abundant erosive materials. The recession regions of the expansive lakes resulted in an increase in sandy lakeshores, which induced a potential increase in the dust emissions under strong-wind conditions. In addition, the effects of human activities on dust emissions were evident. The positive and negative effects on dust emission changes coexisted on the HXP and depended on the development of the county-level economy and the implementation of ecological engineering measures. We believe this study will clarify the dust yield of the QTP and provide valuable information for understanding the driving factors that cause variations in aeolian processes on the QTP.