Chinese scientific expedition team cleverly obtained the "core" from the bottom of Namtso Lake! Ancient climate code at a depth of 400 meters?

Author: Duan Yuechu and Huang Xianghong

In the vast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, there is a mysterious and beautiful Namtso Lake. Namtso Lake not only has intoxicating natural scenery, but also carries a profound historical and cultural heritage. It is one of the three holy lakes in Tibet. It means "Heavenly Lake" in Tibetan. It has occupied a sacred position in the hearts of Tibetan people since ancient times. In the religion and culture of the Tibetans, Namtso is regarded as the residence of the guardian god and has extraordinary religious significance. Every year, many believers travel long distances to worship. They chant and pray around the lake to express their awe of the gods and their expectations for a better life. In the ancient Tibetan legend, Namtso and Nyainqentanglha Mountain are a pair of lovers who depend on each other for life and death. The majesty of the mountain and the softness of the lake complement each other, forming a romantic and moving picture.

At 18:35 on July 12, in the central lake area of ​​Nam Co, which is more than 4,700 meters above sea level, the multinational joint scientific expedition team successfully obtained lake cores at a depth of 402.2 meters at the bottom of the lake after unremitting efforts. This is the first time that my country has successfully exceeded the 400-meter depth in drilling in a large lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, breaking the deepest drilling record of 153.44 meters in Nam Co Lake in 2020, which has important promoting significance for my country's lake drilling and paleoclimate research.

my country has made a lot of achievements in lake drilling and paleoclimate research. For example, on August 5, 2020, the Lake and Environmental Change Research Team of the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences successfully obtained a 144.79-meter-long rock core for the first time in the central lake area of ​​Nam Co on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at a depth of nearly 100 meters. The drilling depth reached 153.44 meters, which was the longest rock core obtained by my country from a lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at that time.

"The paleoclimate reconstruction research at different time scales conducted through lake cores can give us a deep understanding of the past climate and environmental conditions. This lake drilling provides new scientific basis for deciphering the climate and environmental changes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over the past million years." said Wang Junbo, one of the leaders of the Namtso Lake scientific expedition and a researcher at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Nam Co is located in the heart of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is the lake with the largest water volume in China and the highest lake in the world with an area of ​​more than 1,000 square kilometers. Nam Co is a closed lake. The water in the lake cannot flow out of the lake basin. It is the lowest point in the entire basin. Therefore, it is a gathering place for information such as rocks, soil, vegetation, rivers and human activities in the basin, and has important scientific research significance.

The core drilling of Nam Co Lake is the highest-altitude drilling project in the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) so far. The drilling platform and main drilling technicians are all from my country, and the collected lake core will be permanently preserved in my country. The breakthrough in drilling depth has laid the foundation for my country's future high-level lake drilling research and enhanced the voice and influence of Chinese researchers in international scientific cooperation projects.

Lake drilling and paleoclimate research are of great significance to ecological and environmental protection. By studying the changing patterns of paleoclimate, we can better understand the historical roots and development trends of current ecological and environmental problems. For example, understanding how past climate change affected the water level, water quality and ecosystem of lakes can help us predict the impact of future climate change on lake ecology, so as to formulate corresponding protection strategies in advance.

Paleoclimate research can also reveal the history of human activities' impact on the ecological environment. Comparing environmental changes caused by natural factors in the past with environmental changes caused by modern human activities can help us more clearly understand the extent to which human activities interfere with the ecological balance, thereby more scientifically planning and adjusting human activities and reducing damage to the ecological environment.

Moreover, in-depth research on paleoclimate can provide important evidence for biodiversity conservation. Past climate change may have led to the extinction or migration of certain species. Understanding these historical processes can help us develop more targeted biological conservation plans to protect species and ecosystems that are vulnerable to climate change.

The expedition team members faced huge challenges in conducting scientific research in such a high altitude and harsh environment. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the scientific research mission, the logistics support team did a lot of meticulous work.

In terms of diet, due to the limited transportation conditions, fresh vegetables and fruits have become scarce. However, the support team will reserve a large amount of canned food, dehydrated vegetables and meat in advance to ensure that the team members can get enough nutrition. At the same time, in order to meet the team members' taste needs, some special condiments will be prepared to make simple food delicious.

Although the accommodation conditions are relatively simple, they have been carefully arranged. In the camp, sturdy tents are built, equipped with warm sleeping bags and mattresses to resist the cold at night. In order to ensure that the team members can have a relatively comfortable resting environment, the tents are regularly maintained and cleaned.

In terms of medical care, they are not negligent at all. The thin oxygen in the plateau area can easily cause a series of health problems such as altitude sickness. Therefore, the team is equipped with professional medical personnel and sufficient medicines and medical equipment. In daily work, medical personnel will pay close attention to the physical condition of the team members and provide timely treatment and advice.

In addition, the protection of communication equipment is also crucial. In the remote Namtso Lake area, maintaining smooth communication with the outside world is of great significance to the safety and smooth progress of scientific research. Through satellite phones and professional communication equipment, team members can communicate with the outside world in a timely manner, share research results, and quickly obtain support in case of emergency.

The scientific expedition to the bottom of Namtso Lake is another brave attempt by humans to explore nature and reveal the mysteries of the earth. It not only demonstrates the perseverance and courage of scientists, but also reflects the infinite desire and pursuit of mankind for the unknown world. I believe that through in-depth research on these lake cores, we will be able to understand the earth's past more clearly and better cope with the challenges we may face in the future.

Let us look forward to scientists bringing us more answers about the future of the Earth and mankind through their "excavation" at the bottom of Namtso Lake. At the same time, let us pay high tribute to the scientific expedition team members who silently dedicate themselves and stick to the front line of scientific research. It is their efforts and dedication that have deepened our understanding of the world and made our future more hopeful.