This Wednesday, November 19, 2025, in Lhasa, the team led by Yao Tandong from the Chinese Academy of Sciences dropped the much-anticipated Top 10 application achievements from China's second Qinghai-Xizang Plateau scientific expedition. 🌟 These breakthroughs promise big wins for everyone – from scientists and engineers to locals and climate lovers around the world.
Here's a quick look at the highlights:
- Eco-laws 💼: Science-backed support for plateau ecological protection legislation.
- Earth-watch 🌍: A new platform for real-time Earth observation and early warnings.
- Permafrost defense ❄️: Innovative tech to prevent and control cold-region disasters, safeguarding projects like the Sichuan-Xizang Railway.
- Resource scouting ⛏️: Better tools for exploring minerals and resources.
- Carbon counts 📊: Advanced carbon accounting methods tailored for high-altitude zones.
- Safe roads 🛣️: Traffic safety insights to keep plateau highways and expressways secure.
- Border boosts 🏘️: Development strategies to energize remote border areas.
But the expedition went even deeper. Yao and the team introduced the concept of the plateau's "third environmental transition." Here's the story:
- First shift: Tectonic forces and a northward push of the monsoon brought warm, moist air.
- Second shift: The plateau's uplift created cold, dry conditions and linked climate patterns among Antarctica, the Arctic and the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.
- Third shift: Modern global change and human activity are driving warming, wetting and a "greening" trend across the plateau.
What's next? The plateau's "Asian Water Tower" role is rising – projected water runoff could jump up to 49% by the century's end, a game-changer for water security for billions. 🌊
By studying the interconnected "three poles" climate pattern, researchers aim to tackle major global science challenges. From geology to ocean shifts, the plateau is proving itself a key player in understanding and protecting our planet. 🌏
Stay tuned as this high-altitude lab keeps serving up insights that impact us all – from your water tap to the world's weather map. 😉
Reference(s):
New findings of China's second Qinghai-Xizang Plateau expedition
cgtn.com