Reported by Song Chaojun in People's Daily (September 18, 2024, Issue 06)

 

 

 

 

       Huang Jianping, born in Xining, Qinghai Province in 1962, is an academician of the CAS Member and professor of the College of Atmospheric Sciences of Lanzhou University. He has been rooted in the northwest for a long time, focusing on the mechanism and prediction research of semi-arid climate change. He led the team to establish China's first comprehensive observation platform for semi-arid climate and environment, developed a mobile monitoring system suitable for operations under extreme harsh conditions, overcome the technical difficulties of simultaneously detecting environmental pollution and meteorological disasters at different time scales, and achieved a series of original results. He has won the second prize of the the State Natural Science Award, the second prize of the national teaching achievement of higher education (postgraduate), the first national innovation prize, etc.

 

       During a sharing of the 2024 pre job training class for new teachers and staff in Lanzhou University, photos of hiking in the desert, climbing the plateau, and crossing glaciers were shown on the screen one after another. These people in the photos were not expedition members, but the team led by Huang Jianping, an academician of the CAS Member and a professor of the College of Atmospheric Sciences of Lanzhou University.

       Why team up to observe the atmosphere in harsh environments which can neither be seen nor touched? For many years, Huang Jianping has led a team rooted in the northwest, focusing on the mechanism and prediction research of semi-arid climate change, revealing a series of climate change mysteries. Many young scholars who have grown up in the team have become experts in atmospheric science and have achieved new results in different sub fields.

 

 

       In 1978, at the age of 16, Huang Jianping was admitted to Nanjing Meteorological Institute (now Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology) and devoted himself to atmospheric science research. After graduation, Huang Jianping successively worked and studied in Fujian Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Lanzhou Institute of Plateau Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Lanzhou University, becoming the first doctor of meteorology in Lanzhou University.

       After graduating with a PhD, Huang Jianping went to Peking University and foreign universities to continue his studies and work in order to keep up with the forefront of technology. When he was abroad, with the improvement of his scientific research ability and the broadening of his horizons, his desire to return to China to engage in research became increasingly strong. In 2004, Huang Jianping returned to China and became the dean of the College of Atmospheric Sciences at Lanzhou University.

       Lanzhou is located in the northwest inland, adjacent to the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, between arid and humid areas, and is a natural testing ground for studying climate change.

       With a 'testing ground', there also needs a comprehensive monitoring platform. To obtain good research results, it is necessary to have first-hand observational data, 'said Huang Jianping.

       In the past, meteorological observations were mostly single element observations, but climate change factors are complex and numerous. If various elements can be integrated, more valuable data will be provided. It's like using an X-ray machine to see through the atmosphere, which requires gathering observations of different times and scales together, 'Huang Jianping said.

       After repeated measurements, Cuiying Mountain in Yuzhong Campus of Lanzhou University came into Huang Jianping's sight. With an altitude of 1970 meters, it has suitable natural conditions for observation. But for builders and observers, the working conditions here are very difficult.

       At that time, Cuiying Mountain had only a few dirt roads and about 600 temporary steps with uneven heights on the way up. Huang Jianping led dozens of people to manually move and push small cars, carrying small devices on one person's back and lifting large equipment together. They braved the rain and snow, carried equipment on their shoulders, and built an observation station.

       Starting from May 2005, over 30 observation devices were transported to the mountains for assembly and observation. In the end, the 'Lanzhou University Semi arid Climate and Environment Observation Station' covering an area of 100 acres was successfully built, becoming the first comprehensive monitoring platform with international standards in northwest China, filling the gap in long-term continuous integrated observations of aerosols, clouds, precipitation, land atmosphere interactions, and opening up systematic monitoring and research on semi-arid climate change in China. Nowadays, the equipment of the observation station has exceeded 100 units, and the area of the observation station has expanded to over 200 acres, with continuous emergence of observation results.

 

 

       What is the formation mechanism of sandstorms? What are the differences in sandstorms in different regions? In order to study sandstorms and the atmospheric science principles behind them, Huang Jianping led his team to 'chase after sandstorms' time and time again.

       In 2008, Huang Jianping found an observation site in the field of Jingtai County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province, which is located in the transitional zone between the Loess Plateau and Tengger Desert. This area is drought and water shortage all the year round. In areas close to the desert, sand and dust particles are relatively pure, which is conducive to comparing and verifying monitoring data. Taking into account factors such as distance and wind speed, Huang Jianping has identified this area as a sand and dust observation site. Under such conditions, Huang Jianping and his students stayed for over three months, accumulating a large amount of observation data, with a tent on duty and an abandoned farm used as a dormitory.

       Gradually, conducting environmental and climate monitoring related to extreme weather has become a routine task for the team. In the spring of 2010, Huang Jianping led a team to Minqin County, Wuwei City, Gansu Province, and built a mobile observation station on the edge of the Badain Jaran Desert.

       In Huang Jianping's recollection, during the observation in Minqin County, one had to 'stare at the sand and dust' on one hand, and 'avoid the sand and dust' on the other. Several times, sandstorms came too quickly to turn off outdoor equipment, so Huang Jianping had to take the students to find cover nearby to avoid them. After the sandstorm, a thick layer of sand covered the beds and equipment in the observation station. But precisely because the sandstorm suddenly struck, the equipment perfectly captured the entire process of sandstorm evolution, providing valuable basic data for studying typical sandstorm phenomena in northwest China.

       He built an observation station in the Taklamakan Desert and participated in the second comprehensive scientific expedition to the Qinghai Tibet Plateau... Huang Jianping spends more than half a year in the field for scientific research. In the long-term scientific research process, he established the basic theory of 'the interaction between dust, clouds, and precipitation and their impact on arid climate', and for the first time proposed the semi direct effect of Asian dust aerosols on aridification internationally. He also discovered the typical characteristics of summer dust storms on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau for the first time.

 

 

       As cars drove by, Professor Chen Siyu from the Department of Climatology at Lanzhou University was leading his students to record vehicle data and conduct dust sampling with instruments on the roadside. Five or six people cooperated with each other in an orderly manner... 'Each student needs to choose a research topic and find a specific direction for scientific exploration. This is what I learned from Professor Huang's experience in teaching and educating people,' Chen Siyu said.

       I will let students choose a topic that can be used for long-term research. I will always pay attention to every step of their scientific research, 'said Huang Jianping.

       In 2008, Chen Siyu, who was about to graduate from undergraduate studies, joined Huang Jianping's team. Huang Jianping has determined the research direction of 'dust and climate change' for her based on her professional interests. With the help of Huang Jianping, Chen Siyu continuously expanded and improved in this research direction. Based on the improved numerical model, the system revealed the complex feedback mechanism between dust aerosols and climate environment.

       Over the years, Huang Jianping has trained more than 60 outstanding young and middle-aged researchers - Huang Zhongwei established a laser radar network and a meteorological disaster forecasting and early warning system, Guan Xiaodan discovered significant warming phenomena in semi-arid areas, and Wang Xin filled the gap in the observation and research of black carbon aerosols in snow cover in China with detailed experimental data... Many of these researchers have stayed in the western region, continuing to promote research in the field of atmospheric science in China.

       Can research on marine climate be conducted in the northwest inland? At the beginning, postdoctoral fellow Li Changyu, born in 1995, also heard similar doubts, but Huang Jianping strongly supported him: 'To meet the country’s needs, if you are personally interested, then go ahead and do it

       In fact, it is not difficult to collect open source marine data in the west and east through the Internet. The difficulty lies in analysis and research. Huang Jianping guided step by step, and over the course of more than 6 years, Li Changyu could often be seen shuttling between the College of Atmospheric Sciences and the Supercomputing Center at Lanzhou University, holding a stack of hard drives. Relying on massive data and the solid research capabilities of the team, Li Changyu gradually found a research path. He successfully quantified the contributions of various processes of oxygen balance in the ocean and discovered the accelerated 'escape' phenomenon of dissolved oxygen in the ocean under climate change. These achievements provide important support for further understanding the oxygen cycle of the Earth system and its relationship with carbon sinks, and have been published in key journals in the field of geophysics research.

       In recent years, Huang Jianping has also devoted some of his energy to science popularization. Since the beginning of this year, Huang Jianping has given speeches at multiple universities and research institutes. “The needs of our motherland are the direction for us to move forward ' is his most commonly used speech title, and he also often uses one sentence to encourage everyone -' Perseverance, only because of love '.

 

 

 

       Talents and materials are precious nutrients that make them valuable tools. In the interview, Academician Huang Jianping mentioned the help of his predecessors in scientific research and also mentioned the research achievements of his own students multiple times. He grew up under the cultivation of young scientific and technological talents by the country and schools, and also cultivated more younger generations through practical actions.

       It is precisely because the predecessors set an example and set a good example that young scientific and technological workers have a rigorous academic attitude. The achievement of scientific research results cannot be separated from solid exploration, such as exploring deserts, glaciers, and crossing Gobi. Huang Jianping has always been at the forefront, leading students to constantly grow; Huang Jianping teaches generations of students to always remember the needs of the country when conducting observations, data collection, and project work.

       It is precisely because our predecessors are willing to serve as a ladder and reward future generations that young technology workers have a broader stage. Cultivating young people to make new achievements is not only the transmission of the spirit of scientific research serving the country, but also helps to achieve high-level technological self-reliance and self-improvement. Technology is the primary productive force, and talent is the primary resource. We should encourage young scientific and technological workers to continuously advance in the breadth and depth of science and technology, thereby promoting the continuous emergence of scientific and technological innovation achievements.