CAS in Development of West

The 4th International Symposium on the Tibetan Plateau Solemnly Opened

From August 4-7, the 4th International Symposium on Tibetan Plateau was solemnly opened in Lhasa. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the government of the Tibetan Autonomous Region cosponsored this symposium. Over 150 overseas experts from more than 20 countries such as America, Germany, France, Britain, Japan, and Canada etc. were present at the symposium. CAS member Honglie Sun presided over the opening ceremony. Participants of this symposium submitted totally 336 papers. Topics of the symposium include the following five categories: plateau formation and lithosphere kinetics; uplift of plateau and its environment effect;

formation process of the earth's surface in plateau associated with global change; alpine meteorology and climatology; resources, environment and sustainable development of the plateau.

Sino-German Joint Scientific Survey Successful

This survey launched by both German and Chinese parties have focused on research of lake sedimentation of Tibetan Plateau, including the chemical property of lake water, and depositing speed and change of component of sediment. To ensure that this survey to be carried out smoothly, the German partner has provided relevant apparatus for scientific research, such as: lake drills, inflatable boats, tents, and sampling bottles etc. Namtso Lake was selected as a pilot site. The lake is one of the three well-known holy lakes in Tibet and the second largest saltwater lake in China, which is also the highest in altitude among all saltwater lakes in the world.