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Glaciers are undergoing accelerated melting.
Forming tens of thousandsBinghu Lake
What impact will they have?
Distant voices are already narrating a few things.
The breach of an ice lake would pose significant hazards downstream.
Sudden change in water quality may impact the ecosystem.
Sudden changes in salinity and pH levels may reduce biodiversity...
This emergingHigh-Arctic Aquatic Ecosystem
Why the突变? How will it impact the regional ecological environment?
How to Uncover the Secrets of Changes in the Ice Water Ecosystem?
There are too many questions that need to be clarified.
But the speed of ice lake formation
We understand them much faster than humans do.
The journey to "Deciphering the Ice Lake" is a long one.
Uncertainty abounds, and comprehensive monitoring remains challenging...
Luckily, the team found...New Approach in Technology
How did they accomplish this?
Ascend 5 kilometers into the sky
We fear the most is not collecting valid data.
There are approximately 20,000 glacial lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and their number is increasing, Zhang Qianggong said, his tone urgent. As a researcher at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he initially studied glaciers and climate change. However, with the melting of glaciers, he realized that his research subjects were gradually disappearing. In his confusion, he suddenly...The shifting ice lakes hold many unknown mysteries, related to climate and environmental changes.At the same altitude, the downstream pastoralism has already been affected, with the places where cattle and sheep graze becoming increasingly limited. What we need to do now is to get closer to the ice lakes and understand them, so we can learn how to protect them and the ecosystem.
Therefore,The Zhang Qianggong Research Team needs to regularly arrive at the ice lake observation site."These ice lakes are located at the ends of glaciers, usually above 5,000 to 5,500 meters in elevation, which is equivalent to climbing up 5 kilometers into the sky. Newcomers find it hard to adapt to the environment here," Zhang Qianggong said. Each time we set out, the team must first travel to the Lhasa station, then proceed with monitoring equipment and kayaks for lake sampling into the depths of the ice lakes. After collecting the water samples, we have to transport them over long distances, with some samples even having to travel thousands of miles to reach the testing center, making the process quite曲折.
A 7-day intensive observation is as much a test of physical and endurance as it is.The weather over the lake is ever-changing, with sudden gusts and downpours under clear skies being the norm.Team members must stay on the ice lake for 7 days and 7 nights, collecting water samples every few hours.The doctoral student Lu Zijian from Zhang Qianggong's research group recalls an incident during a monitoring trip to Namtso Lake. A senior brother was taking samples when the boat capsized, and he fell into the hundreds of meters deep ice lake. Fortunately, the teammates on board managed to rescue him, and both of them took a while to recover once they reached the shore. "It was an ice lake, freezing cold, everyone was terrified."
Amidst their hard work, their greatest concern is still returning empty-handed. The changes in the ice lake are as unpredictable as the high-altitude weather, with water quality changing rapidly. It's possible to be stationed for 7 days and still not capture the process of the lake's sudden changes.Zhang Qianggong introduces, "When studying glaciers, we bring back complete ice cores to the lab, which contain a wealth of information. However, the effectiveness of ice and lake water samples is uncertain. Moreover, there are tens of thousands of ice lakes on the vast high plateaus that await exploration."Manual ice lake monitoring is too slow.”
"Spot Water Quality Changes Through the Water's Color"
Technology provides significant support for research on tens of thousands of ice lakes.
Can water color reveal water quality? The thought first popped into Zhang Qiang Gong's mind as he sat on a plane, gazing down at one ice lake after another below. Each lake was beautiful, with varying colors, changing in endless ways. "Can the changes in the color of the lakes we see reflect the changes in water quality?" With this seemingly whimsical idea in mind, Zhang Qiang Gong began to sift through a vast amount of information, discovering its feasibility.
Starting in 2022, the Zhang Qianggong Research Group, in partnership with Hikvision STAR Technology Public Welfare, began implementing.Monitoring glacial melting and changes in lake ice water environments through video perception devicesSuccessfully installed in typical glacial-ice areas such as Kula岗日, Qiangyong, and Zhufeng Rongbu.Zhen Full-Color Video Monitoring EquipmentAchieve long-term, real-time, and high-resolution monitoring of ice lake changes.
Through continuous high-resolution observations, we have found thatThe color of the lake is particularly strongly associated with the measured water quality.Lu Zijian clearly remembers the observed peaks of the Gunyong Glacier Lake in May and July 2024. The color of the lake water significantly changed during these two months, after inversion...Model AnalysisOur technology precisely detects changes in turbidity, offering a more efficient and less labor-intensive alternative to traditional manual monitoring.This setThe remote monitoring system has greatly enhanced efficiency.。
Sometimes the ice on the lake freezes and thaws rapidly, with color changes occurring within just a few hours, something that is hard to capture through human observation. Zhang Qianggong introduces, now they are using...Collaborative Ice Lake Water Quality Monitoring Method with RGB Imaging and Depth Learning ModelsGained insights into the rapid fluctuations and driving factors of lake water quality.
"We can even effectively monitor the most remote small glacial lakes, capturing rapid changes in the lake's environment, and directly estimate certain key water quality parameters, such as turbidity." states the Zhang Qianggong research group in their paper published in an international academic journal.This innovative achievement provides a new technological approach for exploring changes in the plateau's ecological environment.This technology is now poised to be replicated in tens of thousands of ice lake monitoring studies, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of climate change, regional microclimates, and their downstream impacts.
Research is a long relay race.
A batch after another, researchers accumulate their findings.
Contributing to the protection of the cryosphere and the climate environment
Now, the Zhang Qianggong research team has collected
Over 100 TB of data, and continuously "deciphering the Ice Lake."
Enhanced by technology, this scientific journey
Bolstered by confidence, enhanced efficiency, and brimming with hope.
This year isInternational Glacier Protection Year
The first year of the Decade of Ice, a scientific initiative for polar research.
Interest in the cryosphere is on the rise.
Advancements in technology, accelerated action
Our Vision: To Foster Harmonious Coexistence Between Humanity and Nature
Early and even earlier to reality
