Breaking the Ecosystem Balance Over the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Regional ecosystems can be affected by global warming and, conversely, can themselves drive the effects of another distant ecosystems, such as the Tibetan Plateau (TP), "third pole" of the world (T. Wang et al., 2021). The TP, where annual average rainfall is <450 mm, cover ∼60% of alpine grassland and is one of the most sensitive to climate change and soil degradation (Jiao et al., 2021). Increasing terrestrial oxygen production (TOP), as a proxy of vegetation growth, driven mainly by net primary productivity (NPP) (Huang, Yu, et al., 2020), is a major indicator of anthropogenic climate warming in drylands (

Surface heat exceeds air temperature regulates topsoil quality over the arid-cold regions

“…However, our understanding of the major soil quality drivers across a wide range of geographic scale is still inadequate, as current research has been dominated by site-level studies. In addition, it is a grand challenge to distinguish a crucial role of warming (for example, the greenhouse effect caused by fossil fuel combustion) in determining soil quality changes, which, in turn, these changes may also mediate the climate through the vegetation photosynthesis, net primary production and atmospheric oxygen fluctuations [3,9,15,16]. Notably, the oxygen production process is associated with a cooling effect, but the oxygen consumption process is linked to a warming effect [17].…”

Insights on droplet drift and effective utilization of pesticide in “Third Pole”：Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China

“…With regard to the planting area, it has unquestionable benefits, and it is perennially windy, dry, and rainier. However, pesticide application technology need more scientific direction [ 26 , 27 ].…”

“Urban Respiration” Revealed by Atmospheric O2 Measurements in an Industrial Metropolis

“…Only a few organizations have conducted long-term atmospheric O 2 measurements, mostly in the natural background. The longest record of direct atmospheric O 2 measurements in the modern atmosphere shows a steady decline of approximately 4 ppm/yr since the late 1980s, which is generally attributable to fossil fuel combustion and anthropogenic modifications to the land surface including deforestation. , The aggressive urban expansion has not only substantially boosted anthropogenic fossil fuel and O 2 consumption but also deprived the ecosystem of biological O 2 production and CO 2 fixation, breaking the atmospheric O 2 balance. , A recent ice-core-based study attributed a decline in atmospheric O 2 since the Mid–Pleistocene transition (1.2–0.7 million years ago) to glacial weathering . Shi et al and Chen et al measured O 2 content over the Tibetan Plateau and implied reduced hypoxia risk on the Tibetan Plateau in a warming climate.…”

“…8,14 The aggressive urban expansion has not only substantially boosted anthropogenic fossil fuel and O 2 consumption but also deprived the ecosystem of biological O 2 production and CO 2 fixation, breaking the atmospheric O 2 balance. 15,16 A recent ice-core-based study attributed a decline in atmospheric O 2 since the Mid−Pleistocene transition (1.2− 0.7 million years ago) to glacial weathering. 17 Shi et al 18 and Chen et al 19 measured O 2 content over the Tibetan Plateau and implied reduced hypoxia risk on the Tibetan Plateau in a warming climate.…”