Magnitude and Forming Factors of Mass Elevation Effect on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

doi:10.1007/s11769-016-0834-x

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	Magnitude and Forming Factors of Mass Elevation Effect on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
	Zhang Shuo 1,2; Zhang Baiping1 ; Yao Yonghui1 ; Zhao Fang 1,2; Qi Wenwen 1,2; He Wenhui 1,2; Wang Jing1,2
	2016-12-01
Source Publication	CHINESE GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE
ISSN	1002-0063
Volume	26 Issue:6 Pages:745-754
Corresponding Author	Zhang Baiping(zhangbp@lreis.ac.cn) ; Yao Yonghui(yaoyh@lreis.ac.cn)
Abstract	Mass elevation effect (MEE) refers to the thermal effect of huge mountains or plateaus, which causes the tendency for temperature-related montane landscape limits to occur at higher elevations in the inner massifs than on their outer margins. MEE has been widely identified in all large mountains, but how it could be measured and what its main forming-factors are still remain open. This paper, supposing that the local mountain base elevation (MBE) is the main factor of MEE, takes the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) as the study area, defines MEE as the temperature difference (Delta T) between the inner and outer parts of mountain massifs, identifies the main forming factors, and analyzes their contributions to MEE. A total of 73 mountain bases were identified, ranging from 708 m to 5081 m and increasing from the edges to the central parts of the plateau. Climate data (1981-2010) from 134 meteorological stations were used to acquire Delta T by comparing near-surface air temperature on the main plateau with the free-air temperature at the same altitude and similar latitude outside of the plateau. The Delta T for the warmest month is averagely 6.15 degrees C, over 12 degrees C at Lhatse and Baxoi. A multivariate linear regression model was developed to simulate MEE based on three variables (latitude, annual mean precipitation and MBE), which are all significantly correlated to Delta T. The model could explain 67.3% of MEE variation, and the contribution rates of three independent variables to MEE are 35.29%, 22.69% and 42.02%, respectively. This confirms that MBE is the main factor of MEE. The intensive MEE of the QTP pushes the 10. isotherm of the warmest month mean temperature 1300-2000 m higher in the main plateau than in the outer regions, leading the occurrence of the highest timberline (4900 m) and the highest snowline (6200 m) of the Northern Hemisphere in the southeast and southwest of the plateau, respectively.
Keyword	Qinghai-Tibet Plateau mass elevation effect (MEE) temperature difference mountain base elevation timberline
DOI	10.1007/s11769-016-0834-x
WOS Keyword	MOUNTAINS ; PATTERNS ; ALTITUDE ; TREELINE
Indexed By	SCI
Language	英语
Funding Project	National Natural Science Foundation of China[41571099] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[41030528]
Funding Organization	National Natural Science Foundation of China
WOS Research Area	Environmental Sciences & Ecology
WOS Subject	Environmental Sciences
WOS ID	WOS:000392313400004
Publisher	SPRINGER
Citation statistics
Document Type	期刊论文
Identifier	http://ir.igsnrr.ac.cn/handle/311030/65059
Collection	中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所
Corresponding Author	Zhang Baiping; Yao Yonghui
Affiliation	1.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Geog Sci & Nat Resources Res, State Key Lab Resource & Environm Informat Syst, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China 2.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China
Recommended Citation GB/T 7714	Zhang Shuo,Zhang Baiping,Yao Yonghui,et al. Magnitude and Forming Factors of Mass Elevation Effect on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau[J]. CHINESE GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE,2016,26(6):745-754.
APA	Zhang Shuo.,Zhang Baiping.,Yao Yonghui.,Zhao Fang.,Qi Wenwen.,...&Wang Jing.(2016).Magnitude and Forming Factors of Mass Elevation Effect on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.CHINESE GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE,26(6),745-754.
MLA	Zhang Shuo,et al."Magnitude and Forming Factors of Mass Elevation Effect on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau".CHINESE GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE 26.6(2016):745-754.

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