On June 17, after the launch ceremony of the Tibetan Plateau Comprehensive Scientific Expedition, the scientific researchers set off for the expedition area. The Tibetan Plateau Comprehensive Scientific Expedition led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) started on the 17th. This is the second large-scale comprehensive scientific expedition to the Tibetan Plateau.

The expedition will last for 5 to 10 years and the Selincuo Lake is the first expedition area. In the future for more than a month, the CAS will organize more than 100 scientific researchers to observe and research on the 4 aspects of glaciers and environmental changes, lakes and hydrological meteorology, biological and ecological changes, and ancient ecology and paleoenvironment of the Source region of Yangtze River and Selincuo Lake area, the largest lake in Tibet.

In the 1970s and 1990s, China has carried out a comprehensive scientific expedition on the Tibetan Plateau region. It covered more than 50 majors such as geological structure, paleontology, geophysics, climate and animal and plant research, and obtained a lot of first-hand information to fill the gaps in the study of the Tibetan Plateau.

"In recent years, great changes have taken place in the resources and environment of the Tibetan Plateau and it needs to propose a response plan through a comprehensive scientific expedition." Academicians of CAS and Director of CAS Institute of Tibetan Plateau Yao Tandong said, "If the first comprehensive scientific expedition is a 'big discovery expedition', then this expedition will focus on observation changes."

The team leader of comprehensive scientific expedition and researcher of CAS Xu Baiqing said that in recent years, the plateau warming and getting wet become the trend. One of the core tasks of the expedition is to observe the impact of warm and humid on the plateau and its surrounding ecological environment, evaluate its advantages and disadvantages, and put forward reasonable suggestions for resource protection and development.

In addition, the expedition will also provide scientific basis, data and suggestions for the establishment of national parks in Selincuo Lake area and long-term economic and social development in Tibet.

Xu Baiqing said that the expedition in the era of big data will use unmanned aircraft, unmanned ships and satellites and other new technologies to collect data. The involvement of automatic observation equipment will ensure data to be more systematic, comprehensive and long-term.