At noon on May 4th, China expedition members of Mount Qomolangma successfully climbed to the summit, and used high-precision radar to measure the thickness of ice and snow on the summit for the first time.
On the 4th 12: 46, China expedition members successfully set up the world's highest automatic weather station on Mount Everest.
China expedition to explore the top of the earth —— Interview with Yao Tandong, leader of the second comprehensive scientific expedition on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and academician of China Academy of Sciences.
The second comprehensive scientific investigation and research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which lasted for five years, began the "peak task" 2022 this year-the comprehensive scientific investigation and research in the extremely high altitude area of Mount Everest. On the 4th, more than ten expedition members launched a sprint to the top of Mount Everest.
Why does the country attach so much importance to the protection and research of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Mount Everest? What are the tasks of the expedition members who rushed to the top of Mount Everest? What world records will related research break?
With these questions, Xinhua News Agency recently interviewed Yao Tandong, the leader of the second comprehensive scientific expedition on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the field commander and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Yao Tandong, the captain of the Second Comprehensive Scientific Investigation Team of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the field commander and academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, was interviewed by Xinhua News Agency.
"Protect the last piece of pure land in the world"
Reporter: How do you view the important position of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in scientific research and the great mission shouldered by the second Qinghai-Tibet expedition?
Yao Tandong: The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the roof of the world, the water tower of Asia, the roof of the world of the earth, an important ecological security barrier and strategic resource reserve base in China, and an important protected area of Chinese culture. Carrying out this scientific investigation and study, revealing the environmental change mechanism of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and optimizing the ecological security barrier system will have a very important impact on promoting the sustainable development of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, promoting the construction of national ecological civilization and promoting global ecological environmental protection.
On May 3rd, at the Everest base camp, researchers released the atmospheric ozone sounding balloon. Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fei photo
In fact, the scientific research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in New China began in 1950s. In the early 1970s, when our country was still in great difficulties, the first comprehensive scientific research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was launched. From June 5438 to February 2003, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Research Institute of China Academy of Sciences was established, specializing in comprehensive scientific research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The task of the second national comprehensive investigation and study on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is to focus on water, ecology and human activities, solve the problems such as the carrying capacity of resources and environment, disaster risk and green development path on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, make new contributions to protecting the last pure land in the world and building a beautiful Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and make the lives of people of all ethnic groups on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau happier and healthier.
The first comprehensive scientific research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is mainly about "touching the family's bottom" and the second is mainly about "watching the changes". Strive for a major breakthrough in scientific research and provide decision-making basis for the economic and social development and ecological environment protection of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
"Professional expedition members are expected to sample Mount Everest for the first time"
Reporter: Why is the target of this year's scientific research mission locked in Mount Everest? What topics are you going to investigate and study?
Yao Tandong: The Everest expedition is actually an important part of the second Qinghai-Tibet expedition. We have planned it for many years. Mount Everest is a symbol of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. From a scientific point of view, the climate and environmental changes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau can be said to affect other parts of the world.
On May 3rd, at the Everest Base Camp, researchers checked the operation of the ozone flux device. Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Fanshe
First of all, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the water tower in Asia, from which many important rivers in the world originate, thus benefiting mankind.
Second, from an ecological point of view. Going south from Mount Everest, below is the Ganges Plain, which is close to zero meters above sea level. In other words, the straight-line distance is only two or three hundred kilometers, and the altitude difference is more than eight thousand meters. The distribution of animals and plants and the change of ecosystem here are equivalent to a miniature landscape of the earth, which is also one of the greatest charms of Mount Everest.
Third, from the perspective of climate. Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a huge regulator of monsoon and westerly wind, which has an important impact on global climate change.
On May 3rd, at the Everest Mountaineering Base Camp, researchers checked the microwave radiometer. Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Fanshe
This year, we plan to apply advanced technologies, methods and means for the first time to study the vertical change characteristics and interaction mechanism of the six circles of Mount Everest around major scientific issues such as the synergy between the west wind and monsoon, the change of water towers in Asia, the ecosystem and biodiversity, and human activities, and to reveal the environmental change law, greenhouse gas concentration change characteristics, ecosystem carbon sink function and human adaptation characteristics to extreme environment in the extremely high altitude area of Mount Everest under the background of climate warming. To achieve a new breakthrough in the scientific research of the earth system, and to put forward an innovative scientific plan for the natural protection of Mount Everest, so as to serve the construction of the highland of ecological civilization on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the environmental protection and green development of the roof of the world.
We organized five scientific research teams, including 16 scientific research team, with more than 270 scientific research team members participating. This is the second comprehensive scientific investigation in Qinghai-Tibet since the launch of 20 17, with the widest coverage of disciplines and the largest number of participants.
An important task of this Everest expedition is to establish eight weather stations with an altitude of 5,200 to 8,800 meters, four of which are above 7,000 meters. Once the 8800-meter weather station is successfully erected, it will become the highest automatic weather station in the world.
Reporter: Over the years, scientific research and mountaineering have been closely integrated around Mount Everest. We know that this time, a group of climbers have been specially trained to carry out the summit task. The public is eager to know more about this.
Yao Tandong: In the 1950s and 1960s, it was a great event to climb Mount Everest. At that time, it was called mountaineering expedition, and the top was the first goal. Adventure is just an accessory, you can do it. Later, scientists conducted various scientific investigations in this area as independent forces, parallel to mountaineering. However, for landmark sites like Mount Everest, most of the research done by scientists is five or six kilometers high, and there are few samples over 8 kilometers. There are still many gaps in the study of the summit of Mount Everest. For example, with global warming, will the ice and snow on the summit melt? What changes have taken place in the ecosystem from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain? What changes have taken place in greenhouse gases and air pollutants such as carbon dioxide? Many problems must be confirmed by observation, and science cannot assume.
This time, the mountaineering team, which has integrated more than a dozen people, has conducted two years of special training in collecting samples, erecting and using instruments and equipment, and recently has also conducted intensive training. As professional expedition members, they are expected to realize peak sampling for the first time, and perform tasks such as setting up gradient weather stations, drilling shallow ice cores on the peak, and measuring the thickness of the peak by radar.
"Comprehensive scientific research with the most advanced instruments and equipment"
Reporter: Have the instruments and equipment used in this extremely high altitude scientific expedition, especially those that climbers need to carry, been specially designed and modified to meet the climatic environment of Mount Everest and the portable requirements of mountaineering?
Yao Tandong: We put forward special requirements for instrument companies, such as low temperature resistance, low pressure resistance, high and low temperature resistance and so on. We have made many improvements to the instruments and equipment, trying to achieve light weight and good performance.
On May 2, at Everest Base Camp, researchers checked the wind radar. Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Fanshe
Reporter: Compared with the first comprehensive scientific expedition on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the 1970s, has the technology and equipment of this expedition changed a lot?
Yao Tandong: Yes. Looking back on the field research decades ago, we students used geological hammers, compasses and notebooks. Geological hammers are used to beat rocks to observe weathering, compasses are used to identify directions, and notebooks are used to draw sketches. At that time, only teachers could have cameras and barometer.
The first Qinghai-Tibet expedition was basically descriptive, mainly to see what was there. Scientific research should move from qualitative to quantitative, and the second expedition to Qinghai-Tibet should also look at what has changed there, from description to revealing the process mechanism, and then use questions to prove it. This is a change in the paradigm of scientific research.
For decades, the improvement of our country's comprehensive strength and the progress of science and technology have supported the upgrading of scientific research equipment. The state has provided special funds for the second Qinghai-Tibet expedition, and this year's Everest expedition is also the most advanced comprehensive expedition since the launch of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau comprehensive expedition. Such as unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned ships, sounding balloons and airships. , which has been applied to investigation and research. In addition, we will use helicopters this time, which is the first time in the second Qinghai-Tibet expedition.
"Some research fields are already in the first phalanx in the world"
Reporter: The scientific research around the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has attracted worldwide attention. Are China scientists in the leading position in related scientific research in the world?
Yao Tandong: Since 1950s, China has made many special and comprehensive scientific investigations on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has established several observation stations on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, such as Mount Qomolangma Station, Namco Station, Southeast Tibet Station and Ali Station in Tibet, and continued to carry out relevant scientific research.
The research scope of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is very wide, including geophysics, geological structure, ecology and environment. The research of scientists in China, especially supported by major basic research projects in the last two or three decades, has been in the first phalanx in the world, such as climate change and ecological fields including glacier change. With the advancement of research, I believe that we will show more new discoveries and new progress in the international arena, and we will have more international voice in related scientific research fields.