CAS makes great effort in building a strong scientific team in Tibetan Plateau research

Keywords: the Tibetan Plateau, research

Worldly known as the third pole, the Tibetan Plateau is a unique geological unit with the highest elevation. Its uplifting has been one of the most important events in global geological history in the past millions of years. Since it came into being, it has a profound effect on the plateau itself, as well as natural environment and human activities in its neighboring regions, even on the entire global environmental change. Tibetan Plateau research is not only an advantageous field of Chinese scientists studying geology, biology, materials and environmental science, it also remains a popular scientific issue and heated research field. Achievement in this aspect will help in our resources exploitation, environmental protection and local sustainable development on the plateau.

Western scientists and explorers began their relevant study of the Tibetan Plateau after the second half of 19^th century. Tibetan Plateau attracted more and more Chinese scientists’ attention ever since 20^th century, esp. after 1970s, when great achievement in their Tibetan Plateau research has been made. Nowadays, international Tibetan Plateau research has entered a new phase featuring quantitative, complex and selected study. Many scientists of various international academic organizations are thinking of a large-scale international cooperation program in Tibetan Plateau research. A new round of scientific competition in this aspect is showing itself.

ⅠITP established to raise our Tibetan plateau research level

Chinese scientists have always taken the advantage of the favorable geological location of the Tibetan Plateau to acquire a large amount of research achievement. As an important force in Tibetan Plateau research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has gained world attention and support. Bearing the international picture in mind, CAS decided to set up the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP) to realize a systematic development in this research. The establishment of ITP in 2003 has created a favorable condition for international Tibetan Plateau research. It will organize cross-disciplinary and complex study in its future work, so as to raise Chinese Tibetan Plateau research into world advanced level and together promote global Tibetan Plateau research level. Its formation has constituted a foundation for scientific study of a harmonious and coordinated relationship between man and nature on the Tibetan Plateau, thus recovers from a deeper and wider perspective development laws of social economic development on the plateau. All these will add to our authority in international scientific community.

ⅡMajor tasks and operating mechanism of ITP

A.       Major tasks: In terms of study, ITP will organize complex programs and plans about Tibetan Plateau research. In terms of coordination, ITP will coordinate long-term scientific research activities by consciously promoting combination of strong forces among different departments or units. It will also uses active factors at home and abroad to fully apply current resources for Tibetan Plateau research. As to the platform building aspect, ITP will construct platforms for sampling, characteristic and advanced laboratories, and form a research team of advanced ability and originality. 

B  Operating mechanism: ITP has branches in three places in China, namely Beijing (its registration site), Lahsa and Kunming. Beijing branch is in charge of indoor study and experimental analysis. It provides a stage for convenient academic exchange, attracting the best minds worldwide. Lahsa branch is to ensure field experiment and construction of facilities for station monitoring and field experiment on the plateau. Its branch in Kunming will carry out research about biological genetics under radical environmental condition and establish a database for them.

ⅢBuilding ITP into a world acknowledged institute for Tibetan Plateau research

Ever since its founding, ITP oriented itself as international and advanced institute. In the light of national economic and social development, ITP started from the existent achievement in Tibetan Plateau research for more efficient international cooperation.

A Hosting international symposium to promote cross-disciplinary study: grasping the opportunity of the Fourth International Symposium on the Tibetan Plateau Research, ITP joined hands with Chinese Tibetan Plateau Research Commission in hosting the symposium. Through discussion of five heated issues concerning Tibetan Plateau research and active participation of more than 150 scientists worldwide, scientists studying the plateau reached a better understanding of each other, thus boosted cross-disciplinary merging in this research and application of international cooperation programs. The success of the symposium attracted more talented experts to collaborate with Chinese scientists.

B Employing world famous experts as vice director in academy/academic consultant: so far, ITP has worked as partner with Ohio State University (OSU), US, Max-plank Association, Germany, DFG, Germany, French Scientific Research Center, Tokyo University, Japan and so on. Prof. Lonnie G. Thompson from OSU has been employed as Academic Consultant of ITP. More outstanding foreign experts will be invited to ITP. Academic consultants are employed to collaborate in carrying out international programs about Tibetan Plateau research, graduates education and high-level research achievement publishing.

C Promote multilateral academic cooperation and exchange: guided by the principal of mutual beneficial and mutual exchange of advantageous factors bases on its own conditions, ITP has paid visits to DFG, MPG of Germany successfully. It has also welcome visiting scientists from US, France, Japan, Germany and Hong Kong, signing contract with its counterparts in a long-term cooperation. As a result, Sino-Germany Cooperation Contract was signed for jointly work in the Tibetan Plateau research. ITP has also joined hands with other research teams through such contracts as China-US Joint Expedition to the Namunani Glaciers, Sino-Japan Agreement to Collaborate in Tibetan Plateau Research, Study of Lithosphere Structure of Eurasian Plate on the Tibetan Plateau, Study of Structural Variation in Qiangtang Region, middle of the plateau, Study of Structural Basin on the Plateau, Joint Glacial Study of Southwest Tibetan Plateau, Study of Quaternary Glaciers in Mushitage and so on. Thanks to these mutual exchanges and contact, Knowledge Innovation Program of CAS got widely known, more sharing fields were discovered among each other after a better mutual understanding, which boosted the embarking of a number of international cooperation programs.

ⅣBuild ITP together with Germany through resource sharing: at present, Sino-German Cooperative Agreement on Tibetan Plateau research has been reached between CAS and DFG, followed by a series of meetings between China and Germany, thus greatly pushed forward Sino-German scientific cooperation. Their cooperative focuses in the research are on the study of environmental change on the Tibetan Plateau and the study of geodynamics on the Plateau. With capital, intellectual forces, best equipment and technology supply from CAS, NSFC, DFG, and MPG, this joint body has successfully provided support to program application and platform construction.

ⅤEstablish field monitoring platforms and laboratories together with international scientific institutes: in compliance with 2004-2010 National Scientific Outline on Principle Platform Construction jointly implemented by Ministry of Science and Technology, National Administration of Development and Reform, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance, ITP will carry out construction work of complex, long-term and systematic field monitoring platform and laboratories with foreign counterparts. Their construction will start from the establishment of such research aspects of geophysics and geology, record of high resolution, land surface modernization and alpine atmosphere and then locate five observation bases in North, South, Middle, East and West Plateau respectively. Belonging to different natural geological belts, these five bases are of typical representative to climatic environment. By way of field monitoring and laboratory analysis, acquired scientific data will help discover the development laws of local natural science, thus realizes sustainable development of Tibetan economic society as well as the further implementation of west development project of China.