[Chasing Dreams among Stars] Zhang Qianggong: Standing on the Roof of the World, Listening to the Voice of the Earth

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, a pure land for mankind, is the highest region in the world. Standing here, you can see the rolling mountains, large areas of exposed rock and soil, and the storms that never stop above the snow line. It is sparsely populated, but it covers the atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere and other earth spheres from top to bottom, and is an important sample for studying geographical environment changes.

The first time he went to Tibet and met the glaciers <br /> Zhang Qianggong's job is to conduct plateau glacier research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. He entered the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and met the glaciers in 2005. During his more than ten years of scientific research, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is full of his memories and stories.
The first time he went to Tibet, the car climbed up the winding mountain road. After the car broke down twice, the oxygen in the air became thinner, and young Zhang Qianggong experienced the feeling of hypoxia for the first time. He described the experience like this: "When I got off the car, my feet stepped on the ground, just like stepping on a piece of cotton, which was very wonderful."

Zhang Qianggong takes a photo with local residents

For scientific researchers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the thin air and low oxygen content will make their heartbeats speed up involuntarily, and they will perceive all sounds and things more intensely and sensitively.
"This special feeling may be difficult to obtain in other professions, or it may be difficult to obtain in one or two years. But I think people who go to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau may get this feeling after one or two visits." Zhang Qianggong described the profound experience that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau brought him.

Climb to the top and feel the pulse of the earth <br /> Glaciers are the product of climate, recording the breath and pulse of the planet. On the one hand, the appearance of glaciers moves with the changes in climate. When the climate becomes warmer and drier, the glaciers will retreat accordingly. If the climate becomes wetter and colder, the glaciers will slowly advance.
On the other hand, glaciers are the product of dry and wet atmospheric deposition and can record changes in the atmospheric environment. By drilling ice cores for testing, the content of dust, heavy metals, and nuclear explosion elements in the air at different times can be analyzed, which is of great significance for the study of climate change.
In order to obtain the ice core, Zhang Qianggong and his scientific expedition team had to keep moving to higher altitudes. The snow line in the Himalayas is generally 5,600 meters, and ordinary scientific research ends at the snow line. But the end altitude of other people's work is the starting point of Zhang Qianggong's work.
"For example, when the geologists arrived, they left when they found that the rocks were no longer exposed; when there were no plants above 5,200 to 5,600 meters, the people who were working on vegetation withdrew. But between 5,400 and 5,600 meters is the starting point of our work, and when we get there it means our work begins." Zhang Qianggong said with a smile regarding the harsh working environment.
The altitude of 5,100 meters is only the end of the glacier, which belongs to the ablation zone. To drill ice cores, they must drill into the upper accumulation area of ​​the glacier to obtain a complete record. And they can only rely on manpower to move forward on this journey with a vertical altitude increase of less than 1,000 meters.

Zhang Qianggong is investigating the iceberg and ice lake

In addition to the complex terrain, the plateau glaciers also face the cold and lack of oxygen. This makes actions that are easy to do on the plains very difficult on the plateau. They need to climb step by step towards the selected ice core drilling point in the snow. They have been busy from morning to evening, and when they thought they could call it a day, the instructor stumbled and rolled down the glacier, excitedly telling them that they had found another way and moved the equipment up a little further.
Conducting scientific research at an altitude of 6,000 meters brings many unpredictable situations. It is common for the weather to change drastically and for blizzards to fall. When the chaotic sound of the wind whistled in his ears, Zhang Qianggong knew that he had heard the "violent" side of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Continuous breakthroughs to explore the unknown truth <br /> Since the 1950s, China has conducted many scientific surveys on the glaciers of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and has made continuous breakthroughs over the past 60 years. Compared with the previous goal of climbing and measuring height, today's scientific expeditions to Tibet focus on scientific breakthroughs and unknown exploration.

The scientific expedition team set up an automatic weather station at an altitude of more than 8,800 meters on Mount Everest

Which came first, water or ice? How is the composition of the ice cap on Mars different from that on Earth? Zhang Qianggong raised these questions passionately. He said that after crossing this peak, you will face more majestic mountains, and you will find more fun in the farther, more majestic and higher mountains.
Although it is hard to sift through the sand, gold will be found after all the sand is blown away. Willpower is the confidence in facing any difficult problem, and it is a person's blood and courage. After climbing a mountain, the perseverance in seeking the truth will open the door to a wider world for those who pursue their dreams.
Zhang Qianggong is always unsatisfied and wants to study more, trying to reach a deeper truth. As he said, his heartbeat for glaciers will never stop on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Review expert: Zhang Kai, professor of Communication University of China Producer: Zhan Zhao Planner: Cai Lin, Lin Jiaxin, Jiao Ziyuan Director: Zhang Liuyan (internship) Luo Yuchen (internship)
Broadcaster: Li Donglin Producer: Liu Zimo