Qinghai Lake Basin Critical Zone Observatory on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Abstract

The Qinghai Lake Basin Critical Zone Observatory (QLBCZO) is being established to study alpine hydrology, carbon–water processes, and ecological functions on the northeastern QTP. Previous studies in the QLBCZO mainly focused on ecohydrologic processes and the water budget. Currently, the QLBCZO is designed to integrate state‐of the‐art observation techniques (such as including deep coring, ground‐penetrating radar, electrical resistance tomography, isotope technique, and remote sensing) and frontier modeling approaches to investigate: (i) the three‐dimensional architecture of the subsurface environment (vegetation–soil–rock–microbial community) as well as the carbon and water storage, (ii) multiscale carbon–water processes and carbon–water budget, (iii) interactions between freeze–thaw and carbon–water processes, and (iv) carbon sequestration and water resources. The establishment of the QLBCZO and its associated research would be crucial for advancing both theory and methodology for the CZ and Earth system science research on the QTP and alpine regions in general.