Upward and Outward: Scientific Inquiry on the Tibetan Plateau
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The Tibetan Plateau if the biggest region of high terrain in the world-as big as the entire western United States, with an average elevation higher than the tallest peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Its tallest mountains pierce the upper atmosphere, and its massive bulk alters patterns of wind and rainfall around the Earth.
The scientists seek to answer questions about the geology of the plateau: How did the Tibetan Plateau grow to be so large? Was it uplifted all at once or in stages? What geophysical processes deep underground caused the plateau to rise? The scientists are examining the rugged mountains at the northeast edge of the plateau in China. Because they suspect this area to be the last part of the plateau to form, they hope to find clues to the process of the plateau’s growth.
The scientists also want to understand how the plateau interacts with the atmosphere: How has the growth of the Tibetan Plateau affected climate patterns in China and the rest of the world? Evidence shows that the plateau affects the location of giant dust storms, the timing of Asian monsoon rains, and circulation across North America.
A team of experts in geology, meteorology, geochemistry, geophysics, and paleoclimate has come together to answer these questions. They go into the field to map geologic structures and collect rock samples, analyze rock samples in the laboratory, and build computer models to simulate the plateau’s impact on climate. They travel in remote regions of Asia, hike up mountainsides, and invent new instruments. They record observations in the field and in the lab, read and write scientific papers, and argue about their discoveries. In this film, we follow their investigations to see the process through their eyes-posing questions, planning investigations, gathering and interpreting evidence. As a process of human discovery, science requires collaboration and persistence. It is messy, creative and fun.
The film aligns with state and national standards on science as inquiry and is suitable for high school and college science students and general adult audiences.
Photo credit: Richard Lease
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. EAR-0507730. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
