Academician Wang Chengshan briefed Vice President Meng Xiaolin (third from the right) and Academician Yao Tandong (second from the right) on the progress of the work

The bionic water and sand observation system was put into the field

Associate Professor Qian Rongyi introduces UAV remote control seismic source technology

Teachers and students of CUGB participating in the on-site activities

Teachers and students from CUGB participated in the field work in the Ya River Basin

On May 15, a demonstration on bionic water and sand observation system and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote control seismic source technology was given successfully at the Yangcun Hydrological Station in Shannan City of Tibet (the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River) by the detachment led by Academician Wang Chengshan from CUGB, which was responsible for the source - sink process and evolution of solid matter in river system in the Second China National Comprehensive scientific investigation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A discussion with the leaders of the People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region and other relevant departments on the hydrological and sediment testing work in Tibet was held at the mean time.

Xiao-lin Meng, vice President of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Government, Tan-dong Yao, team leader for the Second China National Comprehensive scientific investigation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Danzenglunzhu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Government of Tibet Autonomous Region, main comrades in charge from Science and Technology Department, Water Resources Department, Shannan Municipal People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region and comrades in charge from the Leading Group Office of the Second China National Comprehensive Scientific Investigation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Hydrology and Water Resources Survey Bureau have attended the symposium.

The project on source-sink process and evolution of solid matter in river system of the Second China National Comprehensive scientific investigation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has assembled a group of excellent scientists from China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Sichuan University, Nanjing University, Tongji University, Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration of Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Hydrology and Water Resources Survey Bureau of Tibet Autonomous Region and other domestic universities and institutes. The project focuses on the source - sink process of solid matter and its environmental and resource effects on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and has integrates geology, hydraulics, geography, geophysics and other disciplines. The project has helped with the transformation of paradigm of investigation and research from the traditional single discipline to the cross integration of multiple disciplines. With the development of domestic and foreign technology leading modern sedimentation dynamic observation system, stream sediment structure and component detection system and analysis methods, under the perspective of global environmental change and sustainable utilization of resources, this study focused on the source-sink process of solid matter in river system and human activities to reveal the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and mechanism of surface processes and biomass cycle in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which serves the major national needs and the construction of national security barriers and ecological security barriers as well as making contribution to high-quality social and economic development of the Tibetan Plateau.      

The bionic water and sediment observation system that was placed is China's first set of in-situ riverbed observation system specially designed for strong hydrodynamic river environment in mountainous areas. The system was developed by researchers from Sichuan University and Tongji University. The system can automatically observe and sample the suspended sediment in the water, and obtain the data of water and sediment increase in real time. The launching of the system marks that the monitoring of water and sediment in mountainous rivers in China has entered a new stage in the whole process monitoring with high time resolution.

The geophysical exploration of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is challenged with factors such as inconvenient transportation, difficult transportation of large equipment, complex surface conditions, intense topographic relief, wide distribution of rivers and lakes, and unstable operation of equipment. The researchers from CUGB are the first around the globe to use unmanned aerial vehicle remote control seismic source technology and equipment in solving problems of seismic wave excitation in complex environment, environmental protection and economy. These technologies are of great significance to the exploration of resources and ecological environment in areas with complex topography, especially in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, as well as the monitoring of modern riverbed morphology and other major national needs. The technology has been granted 4 Chinese invention patents and 1 American invention patent.

Loose-sediments of the river system were widely distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the Quaternary. It is of great significance to find out the spatial and temporal distribution and change mechanism of these loose sediments for revealing the evolution of the river system, the monitoring and protection of the plateau ecological environment, soil and water conservation, the early warning and prevention of natural disasters, and the construction of major basic projects. In the past two years since the launch of the scientific investigation, teachers and students from CUGB have made full use of the advantages of rich experience in geological survey, scientifically deployed and carried out several field investigations, covering the The Aruzangbo River Basin with a total journey of nearly 20,000 kilometers. Combined with indoor remote sensing analysis, the types of loose sediments in the Yajiang River Basin were clarified, the total amount of loose sediments was estimated for the first time, and the distribution and thickness atlas of loose sediments in the whole basin and sixteen sub-basins were compiled. A set of investigation methods based on geological mapping and remote sensing interpretation has been developed and successfully applied to the mountain flood hazard risk assessment in the western Sichuan Plateau.

The Second China National Comprehensive scientific investigation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau put its main issue on the key scientific issues of the change of the earth system on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its impact. The project focuses on key issues such as uplift, resource and environment effects, resource and environment carrying capacity, change and impact of water towers in Asia, growth and evolution of the plateau, current situation and prospect assessment of resources and energy, geological environment and disasters. The highlight of the project is on the process and mechanism of changes over the past 50 years and their impact on human society so as to reveal the mechanism of changes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau earth system, optimize the ecological security barrier system on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, promote the sustainable development of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, serve the country's ecological civilization construction, and promote global ecological environmental protection. A total of ten scientific research missions have been deployed, and 66 special scientific research teams have been formed. As the leading unit from CUGB, two special projects namely, the special topic on the source-sink process and evolution of solid matter in river system and the special topic on the formation and preservation rules and resource potential evaluation of oil and gas in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are undertaken by CUGB headed by Academician Wang Chengshan and Professor Li Yalin respectively. Investigations and research on sub-topics of plateau growth and evolution and geological environment and disasters were also undertaken by Academician Xuanxue Mo, Professor Zhidan Zhao, Professor Sheng Jin, Professor Dicheng Zhu, Professor Nengxiong Xu and other experts from CUGB respectively.

(Written by Zhongpeng Han/ Photo by Qixiang Wang, Yuanying Qu and Tiankun Xu)

Video Link：https://app.cctv.com/special/m/livevod/index.html?vtype=2&guid=bceac1f419394f919efecaedca4298ec&vsetId=C10598