Why is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau wetland a wonderful flower?
The blue planet we live on was connected by continents hundreds of millions of years ago. Later, the continental plate was fragmented. Separate the continents. As one of the six major plates of the earth, the Indian plate drifted northward. By the middle Cretaceous period, more than 1 million years ago, the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate and was embedded under the Eurasian plate, which made the Himalayas uplift. In fact, this young land, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, only 2.4-3.4 million years ago, entered a strong uplift period and became the highest and youngest plateau on the earth.
The water source of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau wetland mainly comes from the solid reservoirs of snow-capped mountains and glaciers. Secondly, it comes from sky rainfall and groundwater.
The unique water source and complex geomorphic structure of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau make the rivers here crisscross. So the river wetland occupies a certain position here. The sources of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Nujiang River and the Lancang River in China are all here.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is dotted with lakes and wetlands. Due to the vertical and horizontal valleys and the display of basins in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, these huge negative geomorphic spaces provide superior conditions for the development of lakes.
The lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are characterized by the distribution in groups. Geographers call him "independent" and "independent". The total area of lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is about 3, square kilometers. It accounts for about two-fifths of the total area of lakes in China.
There are also vast grassy wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Grass wetland is beyond the influence of rivers and lakes, and the surface water is too wet or covered by water. Wetlands with grasses as dominant plants are called grass wetlands. Grass wetlands are widely distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. < P > Because of their strong adaptability, these herbs have become the main part of plateau wetlands.
among the types of wetlands in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, there is also a unique family, that is, forest wetlands. Forest wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are mainly distributed in southeast Tibet. The mountains here are steep, the rainfall is heavy, and it is cold and humid. Such terrain and climate are conducive to the development of forest wetlands.
Because of the existence of plateau wetlands, everything on the plateau is born, and this magnificent plateau is full of vitality and biodiversity.
This huge plateau has become a unique gene bank on the earth. People once imagined that there would be no noisy world on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau without wetlands.
According to the survey, the area of wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is 75, hectares, and there are colorful wetland landscapes in river valleys, lake depressions and foothills plains. People call the wetland a dazzling colorful coat on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Please continue to watch the popular science series Wetland on the Roof of the World.
Wetland on the roof of the world (3)
This is a fantastic world, and this is a mythical world. Jiuzhaigou scenery has drunk many tourists. People should not only ask why the scenery in Jiuzhaigou is so beautiful, but scientists answer that it is the wetland that casts the soul of Jiuzhaigou scenery, and it is the wetland that weaves the colorful garland of Jiuzhaigou. Scientists admire Jiuzhaigou as a rare wetland in the world, and it can be called a boutique "museum" of wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
In Jiuzhaigou, you can see all kinds of wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Jiuzhaigou not only has many lakes, but also rivers, forests and other types of wetlands.
the forest wetlands here. Although it is not as beautiful as lake wetlands and river wetlands, it is unique.
The grass wetland in Jiuzhaigou is a big family here. Lush aquatic herbs. Form a huge vegetation community. These various flora add rare ecological beauty to Jiuzhaigou.
People will ask why the water in Jiuzhaigou is so pure. This depends on good forest vegetation. It is no exaggeration to say that the water in Jiuzhaigou is filtered through the forest drop by drop. The powerful filtering effect of the forest creates this crystal clear mountain water. If there were no dense forests, there would be no such beautiful waterscape.
The water in Jiuzhaigou can also be colorful. How is this colorful water formed? Clear water is beautiful in color, whether it is blue sky and white clouds or strange trees and stones, they all set each other off in the water to form a picture. All kinds of plants under water are also clear and true. What is even more amazing is that there are travertine crystals in Jiuzhaigou water, which are reflected to the water surface and appear colorful.
We put the underwater camera into the lake of Jiuzhaigou, and the water transparency in Jiuzhaigou is amazing. There is a saying in China that "there is no fish when the water is clear". Everyone joked: "The person who created this word in those days must have never been to Jiuzhaigou." There is not only clear water here, but also plenty of fish. The fish in Jiuzhaigou are like swimming in the blue sky.
Jiuzhaigou has many waterfalls, so how are these waterfalls formed?
Jiuzhaigou is a mountain canyon with a water drop of more than 2,7 meters. Here, faults are strewn at random, river valleys are covered with steps, and rapids run down the mountain stream, forming magnificent waterfalls.
if Jiuzhaigou lake wetland is static beauty, while the rushing waterfall is dynamic beauty.
The reason why scientists listed Jiuzhaigou as a fine "museum" of wetland ecology on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is that there are various types of wetlands here, and there are also some small scenes decorating this magical plateau wetland.
Jiuzhaigou has won the status of world natural heritage because of its fantastic wetland beauty.
Jiuzhai, a beautiful wetland ecology on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has become a natural treasure of China and even the world.
Wetland on the Roof of the World (IV)
This is Qinghai Lake, the largest lake in China. The highest lake and the largest lake in China are on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is one of the most densely distributed areas of lakes in China. It is no exaggeration to say that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a world of lakes and wetlands. According to satellite remote sensing, there are 1,91 lakes with an area of more than one square kilometer, and the lake range is 44,993.3 square kilometers, making it the largest plateau lake wetland landscape on the earth.
Why did the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau form such a rich lake wetland? Experts believe that in the plate collision, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was strongly squeezed from north to south, resulting in a zonal arrangement of huge mountain systems and basins. These basins create conditions for the development of lakes.
We took underwater photos of Bitahai, an alpine lake located in the southeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In the shooting, we found that although the water temperature in these plateau lakes is low, there are still lush aquatic plants. Some plants are endemic to the plateau.
because of the cold, there is little plankton in the water.
The lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have great ecological functions. The lake nourishes all life here. And where there is water, there is a swamp. Thus forming a fertile pasture on the lakeside.
This is Yangzhuoyong Lake in Tibet, with lush aquatic plants. In summer, some aquatic plants are washed and dried. These aquatic plants become the most ideal feed for cattle and sheep in winter.
Lake wetlands, like river wetlands, provide valuable fresh water resources for all life on the plateau. There are very few rivers in many places on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the main fresh water resources come from lakes.
The rolling boulders in this picture are not super pebbles brought by rivers, but the remains of ancient glaciers. There are more than 3,2 square kilometers of plateau lakes formed by ancient ice caps in Daocheng County, southeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Tibetans call it Haizi.
the ancient ice cap area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The ice body is covered in a large area. The differential erosion under the ice has caused many ice erosion depressions. They accumulate water and form lakes. This is how these lakes developed. They all belong to glacial lakes.
There are all kinds of strange plants growing around the glacial lake. Many species of these alpine plants, which grow at an altitude of about 5 meters, have mutated due to the bad weather.
generally speaking, the plant species around these glacial lakes are still relatively poor.
Plateau lakes can be said to be various. And they all have the following similarities: First, the development of lake basins is controlled by neotectonic movement, and the area of many lake wetlands is very vast. Second, most of them are inland lakes, and the main source of lake water is melting water from mountains, snow and ice. Third, the lake area is shrinking. In this way, the water resources of lakes and wetlands are precious.
Plateau lakes are the darling of wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Plateau lake wetland has become a unique ecosystem on the plateau.
Wetland on the Roof of the World (V)
There are large areas of forest wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Forest wetlands are mainly distributed in Hengduan Mountains in southeastern Tibet. Here, the landform belongs to the alpine zone which is transitional from the temperate zone to the cold zone of the plateau, and the annual average temperature is low. The annual rainfall is more than 7-18 mm. Spruce and fir trees are particularly extensive here, and the undergrowth is humid, resulting in lush shrubs and mosses, thus forming a relatively extensive forest wetland.
in forest wetlands, there are various types of development. Such as spruce fir-sphagnum forest wetland. This wetland is characterized by shrubs under trees. The ground is covered with moss. There is also Salix wetland, which is mainly distributed in the valley exit zone of rivers. Trees grow luxuriantly, forming elegant landscapes.
The water in forest wetlands is also varied, some are invisible on the surface, some are contained in the moss layer, and some water flows through the moss layer in a thin layer. Others flow faster and water passes through the forest.
A large area of forest wetlands in southeastern Tibet on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau constitutes a good ecological environment here.
forest wetlands can induce rainfall. It can make the air too humid, and this humid environment is conducive to purifying the air and improving the air quality.
this hairy thing hanging on the tree is called songluo. This kind of plant is extremely demanding on the ecological environment, and it will only appear when the air is particularly humid and there is no pollution.
Forest wetland has a powerful ecological function, which has a multi-layer structure of trees, shrubs and mosses, resulting in high productivity. Forest wetland has great ecological stability. It plays a very important role in preventing ecological degradation.
People compare wetlands to kidney of the earth and forests to the lungs of the earth. Then the forest wetland has both lung and kidney functions. It produces a lot of oxygen for living things. Absorbed carbon dioxide and filtered the air. At the same time, it purifies the water body and maintains the health of the earth's ecological network. Therefore, the contribution of forest wetlands is very great.
Forest wetlands have unique biodiversity. He is rich in plant species, from high coniferous forests to low-grade mosses, as well as parasitic and epiphytic plants.
The forest wetlands in Hengduan Mountains in southeastern Tibet were once shelters for animals and plants during the harsh Quaternary Ice Age.
It is precisely because forest wetlands conserve water and play a cold and wet effect. Only in this way can the plateau wetland system be more perfect in structure and more powerful in function.
Wetland on the Roof of the World (VI)
This is the grassland that the Red Army passed through during the Long March-Zoige. This swamp brought endless hardships to the Red Army at that time. But no one thought that it has a huge ecological function. Grass wetland is the main part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau wetland, with an area of more than 3, square kilometers.
In the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, because of the high altitude, forests can't grow in many places, so only the more adaptable herbs are full of vitality.
There are peat layers with different thicknesses in the grass wetland. Peat is in an anaerobic environment, wetland vegetation can not be completely decomposed, and they are mixed with minerals such as soil to form peat year after year.
Wetlands are fertile pastures on the plateau. Pastures on the plateau can be divided into grasslands, meadows and wetlands. Every early spring, the grassland on the plateau has not awakened, and the swamp has sprouted and grown leaves. Because the swamp is rich in water and grass, it is the favorite place for cattle and sheep.
Herbs are dominant plants in wetlands, including aquatic herbs and wet herbs. These plants occupy a certain niche according to their different adaptability to water. They all have the ability of self-adjustment, so as to achieve continuous and endless life.
There are hundreds of herbaceous plants formed in wetlands on the plateau. These plateau herbs should complete two tasks in a limited time. One is to breed offspring, and the other is to save energy to meet the arrival of severe winter. So you can see flowers in full bloom every time you enter early spring.
The florets on the plateau are particularly colorful, for one thing, the strong ultraviolet radiation, and for another, the bright flowers are beneficial to attracting insects, so as to achieve the purpose of pollination and fertilization.
The productivity of grass wetland is particularly high. For example, the Zoige area has reached more than 5, kilograms of fresh grass per hectare. Far more than ordinary grasslands and meadows. It occupies a prominent position in the plateau pastoral area.
Wetlands can induce rainfall and regulate climate.
Because of human activities, greenhouse gas emissions increase, but wetlands can absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The powerful ecological effect of grass wetland is amazing.
The grass wetland is a paradise for birds. Because the grass wetland has both ecological and environmental characteristics of water and land, it is also the cradle of species diversity.
Grassy wetlands are widely distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, from Yarlung Zangbo River in the west to Zoige grassland in the east. Now people are more and more aware of the importance of grass wetlands. Grass wetland, the main body of wetland ecology on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is showing its irreplaceable ecological function more and more.
Wetland on the roof of the world (7)
The vast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the highest and most concentrated source of rivers on earth. China's Yangtze River, Yellow River, Lancang River, Nujiang River, Yarlung Zangbo River and other five world-class rivers are all here. There are also numerous tributaries on the plateau, forming river wetlands with vertical and horizontal rivers and huge water networks.
On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, especially in the southeast of Tibet. You can see flowing water everywhere, and the flowers are in full bloom everywhere. Here you can deeply feel what "thousands of rivers belong to the sea". Water, the charm of this natural flower.
All human civilizations originated from magnificent rivers, and 95% of the world's population lives in river valleys, basins and deltas. Rivers are the cradle of human civilization.
In the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, some rivers are swift and some rivers are steady. Trees, shrubs and various herbs grow in the smooth areas of rivers. Form an orderly river wetland vegetation.
The distribution characteristics of plants here are that most of them grow in strips along the river bay.
You can see these alpine naked carp in every river on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
These little birds can be found everywhere in the river wetlands.
On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, you can also see a great wonder, that is, there are vast virgin forests beside every river. Because of the river water, these virgin forests are well developed. These primeval forests, which cover the sky, decorate the snowy plateau like a green ribbon.
River wetlands and grass wetlands always go hand in hand, and good grass wetlands are developed along every river in the plateau. These herbs all depend on the feeding of river water.
And the grass wetlands are all fertile alpine pastures.
River wetland is one of the most widely distributed types in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The biggest feature of river wetland is its high mobility, which makes it the main artery of the whole ecological environment material circulation and moistens the whole plateau land. Become the source of all life.
River wetlands contain a variety of valuable resources, which provide water, energy and valuable feed for human beings.