TEL assessed as CAS key laboratory---- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

To show the operation status of and research achievement based on the Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, CAS (TEL), TEL volunteered to join the live-assessment as CAS key laboratory by the experts’ group of the CAS. The group consisting of 14 experts in various aspects in geography and atmospherics attended the conference on July 3, 2009 in the ITP Beijing office, hearing the general report by Prof. Tandong Yao (also TEL director) ranging from the academic background, orientation and research directions, and scientists and talents cultivation, to research atmosphere and academic level, and from daily operation of the TEL to international cooperation and exchange projects. Characteristic research fields conducted by TEL staff were also presented, including the ‘North-south difference of ice core record on the Tibetan Plateau’ by Prof. Lide Tian, ‘Glacial retreat, its impact on lake variation on the Tibetan Plateau and proposition of causes’ by Prof. Liping Zhu, ‘Deposition of brown cloud on glacial surface and its possible influences on glacial melting on the Tibetan Plateau’ by Prof. Baiqing Xu, and ‘land-air energy exchange and its variation on the Tibetan Plateau’ by Prof. Kun Yang. Associate professors Eryuan Liang, Jun Qin and Xiaoping Wang also took turns to report on their latest research achievements, respectively on tree ring studies of alpine shrubs in southeast Tibet, recent warming-altitude relationship, and influence of POPs on the Tibetan Plateau.

The assessing group later inspected the laboratory on the first floor of the office building, before experiencing through webcams the Nam Co field station and the laboratory in ITP’s Lhasa campus. Summarization materials of TEL’s work from 2004 to 2008 were also shown to give a systematic understanding of the lab.