Location: Stations--Forest Stations--Gong Gashan
An introduction to Gongga Mountain observation and research station
1. Name of experiment station: The Gongga alpine ecosystem observation and experiment station, CAS.
2. Natural environment
(1) Location. The Gongga alpine ecosystem observation and experiment station, or Gongga Mountain Station in abbreviation, is situated on the east slope of Mt. Gongga, the eastern edge of Qinghai- Tibet plateau. It consists of Moxi base station (102?72E 29?92N) at 1640m above sea level and a subalpine field observation station (102?02E, 29?32N) at 3000m a.s.l.
(2) Vegetation. The east part of Tibet Plateau is of the high mountains and deep valley geomorphic type with a total area of 600,000 square kilometers, including east of Tibet Autonomous Region, west of Sichuan Province as well as northwest of Yunnan Province. One of the most obvious characteristics of natural landscape in this region is the succession of mountain ecosystem structure, ranging from agricultural lands forestto bush and grassland, and cryospheric ecosystems from valley to peaks. The forest ecosystem is composed of various forest zones that have developed from subtropical, temperate and cold temperate forests from the south to the north. Among these zones, the biggest one is the subalpine cold temperate dark coniferous forest that distributes between 2500m a.s.l. and 3800m a.s.l. East slope of Gongga Mountain is a dominant natural vertical zone of the high mountains and deep valley, and the most concentrated and affluent forest region in the east part of Tibet Plateau; it is also the second biggest forest area in China. The Gongga Mountain is the highest peak of Hengdu Mountains with the summit of 7556m a.s.l., the horizontal distance between the Dadu river and the peak in the eastern slope is only 29km, it has relative height up to 6500m, and the vertical natural vegetation from subtropical to the cold zones.
(3) Soil types and Climatic condition. The region s soil belongs to the mountain brown dark coniferous forest soil, and the mountain cold temperate climate. At the site of 3000m a.s.l., the annual mean air-temperature is 4 . The mean temperature in January is ?C4.5 and in July 12 .4 respectively. The annual mean precipitation is 1900mm. 3. Research objectives and tasks The Gongga Mountain Station is an integrated observation and experiment station. Its main research scopes are multi-zonal mountain ecosystems, and the structures and functions of multi-zonal mountain ecosystem and impacts of human activities on the ecosystem. In the point of view of the integrity between the environment and the living thing, the scientific objectives are to explore the formation and the succession features of the mountain ecosystem and the regulation and control principles of its productivity, to reveal the impacts of the lifting of Plateau, the glacier retreating and human activities on the mountain ecological environment, to predict the environment succession trends of mountain area, to provide the rational measurement of development and utilization of mountain resources and the protection and improvement of mountain ecological environment, to develop the mountain environment science and the mountain ecosystem science, and to serve for studying of the global change by long-term observation and data collecting. The Gongga Mountain Station focuses on the study of the structure, function as well as dynamics of forest ecosystem. The dominant forest in the Gongga and the eastern region of Tibet Plateau is dark coniferous forest ecosystem that has an important effect on the region s ecological environment. On the basis of the integrity of environment and forest ecosystem, the recent objective is to study the structure and function of the dark coniferous forest ecosystem, as well as its regulation and control mechanism by the theories and methods of the forest ecology and geobotany.
The main scopes of researches are as follows:
?The environment background and natural resources in the Mt. Gongga area
?The dynamic monitoring of the alpine ecosystem
?The structure, function and productivity of the alpine forest ecosystem
?The hydrologic effects of the forest ecosystem
?The relationship between the environment changes and natural succession law of forest ecosystem
?The renew, restoration, experiment and demonstration of eco-economic type forest ?The response of glaciers and forest community to the global climate change
?The development and protection of landscape resources in the Mt. Gongga.
4. Observation data The data of the Gongga Mountain Station
Number Name Contents 1 Meteorological data in Hailuogou Meteorological data from 1988 to 1997 at the subalpine station (3000m a.s.l.); from 1992 to 1997 at the base station (1640m a.s.l.)
2 Hydrologic data in Hailuogou Hydrologic data from 1990 to 1998 at Huangbenliugou station; from 1994 to 1998 at Hailuogou staion
3 Meteorological data in the Gongga Mountain region Meteorological data at 5 stations (Shimian, Xinduqiao, Kangding, luding, Jiulong) around Mt. Gongga
4 Hydrological data Hydrologic data at 13 stations (Shimian, Xinduqiao, Kangding, luding, Jiulong, Laodongqiao, Pengba, Xinlong, Moxi Xinluo, Shengguqiao, Ansunchang, Tianwan) around the Mt. Gongga
5 Flora in Hailuogou From Moxi to ice-fall (1600-3400m a.s.l.), pteridological plant: 15 families 33 genera 54 species, wood plant: 73 families 160 genera 422 species. Among which, coniferous tree (bare seed plant): only 4 families 11 genera 21 species, broadleaved frees (angiosperm): 69 families 149 genera 401 species. Around the modern glacier (2600-3400m a.s.l.), Main herbaceous plant: 42 families 112 genera 140 species (including from lower plant to higher plant).
6 Fauna in Hailuogou Terrestrial vertebrate: 150species, respectively belong to 4 classes 32 orders 1 suborder 84 families 1 subfamily
7 Biogeochemical materials in the Mt. Gongga region Including soil chemical, water chemical, and plant chemical data
8 Natural resources in the Mt.Gongga region Total 7 sections: including land, agricultural climate, water, living thing, energy, mineral, tourism resources and so on.
9 Social and economic data in the Mt. Gongga region Social and economic data in Luding county and Kangding county, including population, main national economic development, fiscal income and so on
10 Archives of accomplishments Research program and various files which have finished and research subjects which have carried out
11 Archives of documentaries Brief introduction about the Gongga Mountain station, names of special writings and various documentaries The data that are being observed Number Name of data Contents
1 Meteorological data in Hailuogou Automatic meteorological observation data, forest microclimate observation data
2 Hydrologic data in Hailuogou Hydrologic observation data at the Huangbenliugou hydrologic station, Guanjingtai station and Madaogou station
3 Biological data in Hailuogou Data which the researchers have been monitoring according to the stipulation of CERN
4 Soil data in Hailuogou Data which the researchers have been monitoring according to the stipulation of CERN
5. Research staff Director:
Cheng Genwei, male, born in October, 1956, Ph.D. of hydrology and ecology, appointed as director of the Gongga Mountain station since December, 1996.
Tel: 86-28-85238493, Fax: 86-28-85229891, E-mail: gwcheng @ imde.ac.cn.
Name Technical Position Administrative Position pecialty Tel/Fax E-mail
Cheng Genwei Professor Director Hydrology & Ecology 028-85229891 ceng@imde.ac.cn
Zhong Xianghao Professor Director of academic committee Environment & Ecology
028-85229891 xhzhong@imde.ac.cn
Zhang Wenjin Professor Vice director Glacier & ecology 028-85229891 njingz@hotmail.com Li Tongyang Engineer Vice director Agricultural ecology 028-85229891 ggs@mail.sc.cninfo.net Luo Ji Professor Forest ecology 028-85229891 luoji@imde.ac.cn Chen Binru Senior Engineer Computer application 028-85229891 brchen@imde.ac.cn Liao Xiaoyong Associate professor, Soil science & agricultural ecology 028-85223827 adslzouqian@mail.sc.cninfo.net
Li Wei Assistant professor Natural geography 028-85229891 liwei@imde.ac.cn
Zhu Wanze PH.D Plant ecology 028-85229891 wanzezhu@263.net Wang Xiaodan PH.D. Environment degeneration & ecological construction 028-85229891 xdwww@imde.ac.cn
Li Yong M.D. Natural geography 028-85229891 Liyong chengdu @yahoo.com.cn Yin Yigao Senior engineer Chemical analysis 028-85229891
Liu Minde Engineer Meteorology 0836-3266318 Ggs.moxi@sina.com
Wang Keqing Assistant engineer Meteorology 0836-3266318 Ggs.moxi@sina.com