Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
Chinese Academy of Sciences,No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101,China
http://​www.itpcas.ac.cn

OutlineThe Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP) was founded by the Chinese Academy ofSciences (CAS) in 2003. It aims to better understand the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and its
climate and environmental changes, as well as enhance sustainable development in the region.
ITP has three campuses in Lhasa, Beijing and Kunming, respectively, and operates the Tibetan
Observation and Research Platform (TORP) which comprises five field stations on the TibetanPlateau, namely, the Namco Monitoring and Research Station for Multispheric Interactions; theSoutheast Tibet Observation and Research Station for the Alpine Environment; theQomolangma Atmospheric and Environmental Observation and Research Station; the Muztagh
Ata Westerly Observation and Research Station; and the Ngari Desert Observation andResearch Station. These facilities make long­term, continuous observations of geophysical,
atmospheric and tectonic phenomena to understand land surface processes and environmental
changes on the Tibetan Plateau. In addition, ITP has one field network to monitor persistentorganic pollutants, one to study stable isotopes in precipitation, and one seismic network tostudy the deep structure of the Earth and seismicity across the Tibetan Plateau.
Through global recruitment, ITP has attracted over 240 permanent employees, including 36
professors, 62 associate professors, 54 technical personnel, 20 management staff and about 68
junior employees. Among ITP’s research staff, one is a CAS member, four are principal
investigators for projects sponsored by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973”Program), and several are working on the editorial boards of internationally renowned journals.
ITP’s research staff also includes nine recipients of the National Natural Science Foundation ofChina (NSFC) Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars Award, and seventeen CAS HundredTalents Program fellows. NSFC Creative Research Groups have been formed to target researchareas such as the Tibetan Plateau environmental changes and land surface processes,
continental collision and Plateau uplift and alpine ecology and biodiversity. ITP has Ph.D.
programs in physical geography and tectonics. Currently, about 142 young scholars arepursuing master’s or doctoral degrees and 26 postdoctoral researchers are working at ITP.

Research Achievements and Challenges
Influences of glacial variation on the environment over the Tibetan Plateau have beenstudied since the founding of the institute. Field studies are one of the research features ofITPCAS. Large­scale ground observation and monitoring of glacial mass balance has been
conducted over the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings since 2004. Together with satellite
images and remote sensing data, they help provide an updated scenario of glacial status in theregion. According to the latest study by ITPCAS scientists, glacial mass balance over theTibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions features heteregeneous variation pattern, with thelargest retreat of glaciers in the monsoon­dominated southern part, moderate retreat in thecentral part of transition, and the least retreat, or even slight advance in the westerly­dominatednorthern Tibetan Plateau. The accelerated glacial melting and retreat in the southern andsoutheastern parts of the Tibetan Plateau has thus gained significant attention by thegovernment, as this region gives birth to several glacial­dammed lakes yet witnesses busy tradebusinesses between Chinese and Nepalese. To advise the local government on the sustainable
development is also one of the features of ITPCAS. Field survey and measurement havetherefore been intensively conducted in glacial lake areas in the southern Tibetan Plateau sincelate 2012, focusing on the glacial lake dam structure, glacial lake runoff and the feeding glaciers
status (Figure 1). One dimensional hydrological modeling was developed to simulate the peakdischarge during the flooding. Together with satellite data and historical archive, thecomprehensive study reveals great potential of glacial lake outburst floods in the southern
Tibetan Plateau due either to the collapse of the feeding glacier, or the sub­moraine glaciermelting (Figure 2). Those floods will pose potential threat to the security of the office buildings
and Sino­Nepal Friendship Bridge nearby. Adaptation strategies are thereupon proposed for thesafety of the Zhangmu pass at the Sino­Nepal border, including the regularization of in situ
observation and monitoring of glacial lakes, establishment of an early warning system to reduce
the risk, conduction of necessary engineering approaches to drain the water of the lake,construction of protecting embankment and diversion canals, and knowledge transfer to thepeople living in the region.
ITPCAS sees the major research challenges for the future in interdisciplinary research fornatural disaster risk reduction.

Figure 1 a) a bird­view of the Cirenmacuo glacial lake; b) its feeding glacier; and c) debris coverin the lake outlets.

Figure 2 Vertical profile of the Amaciren glacierSuggestions for the Disaster Research Roadmap
1) Emphasize the field observations of glaciers and glacial lakes in high elevations, as theirintensive melting and/or outburst will bring great disaster to downstream regions.
2) Adjust the satellite imaging to regions vulnerable to natural disaster and intensify the regularobservation.
3) Set up seismic observation network both underground and above by locating seismographer
and GPS along the faults to monitor the geodynamic activities of the region.
4) Hold workshops every 2­3 years to exchange information and share data, and include
scientists from a wide range of research areas, as well as engineers and policy makers to join
the communication platform.
5) Enhance knowledge transfer to people living in regions vulnerable to natural disasters, andequip them with basic knowledge for disaster preparation and adaptation.
6) Employ multidisciplinary approaches to understanding not only the geological structure andgeomorphology, but also climate in the region, so as to minimize the risks and come up withtimely adaptation strategies.