The Zoigê Marsh (Chinese: 若尔盖湿地; pinyin: Ruò'ěrgài Shīdì), also known as the Ruo'ergai Marsh or the Songpan Grasslands, is located in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau and forms the largest high-altitude marsh area in the world.[2]
The marsh areas are mainly located in northern Sichuan Province, but extend into southern Gansu and southeastern Qinghai.[3] The marshes are formed in a region of poor drainage that is located between the watersheds of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. The marshes are located at an altitude of about 3,600 meters above sea level and cover an area of about 2,600 square kilometers.[3] To east, they are bordered by the Min Mountains and to the west by the Amne Machin mountain range.[3]
Geologyedit
The marshes can be divided into four geomorphological regions: the Zoigê plateau plain, the Hong Yuan plateau mound, the A Ba plateau mountain, and the Songpan-Lixan Alp.[2] The soil of the marshes contains a layer of peat that is about 2 to 3 meters thick in most places, but can reach up to 7 meters in thickness.[3]The wetland is a low-level developed herbaceous swamp since the QuaternaryHimalayan orogeny. It is also an important water conservation area in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, accounting for 29-45% of the water supply of the total upstream inflow.[4]
Historyedit
Yak graze on the Zoigê Grassland.
The Long March passed through the Zoigê Marsh in August 1935. The marshes were partially drained for grazing of cattle, sheep, and horses in the 1970s.[3] This involved digging 200 km of ditches to drain 1,400 km2 of marshland. The project continued until the 1990s and exacerbated desertification problems.[5] Herders reported that gold miners have also used cloud-seeding cannons to prevent rainfall, which has caused die-offs in vegetation.[5]
In 1994, a nature preserve was established in the marshes. From 2010, community efforts to replant local grasses have been underway, with light grazing by yak allowed, so that the animals can tread the seeds down and stimulate regrowth.[5]
^"Sichuan Ruoergai Wetland National Nature Reserve". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
^ abShuang Xiang, Ruqing Guo, Ning Wu, Shucun Sun, Current status and future prospects of Zoige Marsh in Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Ecological Engineering 35: 553-562
^ abcdeBritannica Educational Publishing, Lakes and Wetlands, The Rosen Publishing Group, 2011
zoigê, marsh, designationsramsar, wetlandofficial, namesichuan, ergai, wetland, national, nature, reservedesignated2, february, 2008reference, 1731, peat, landscape, alongside, yellow, riverthe, chinese, 若尔盖湿地, pinyin, ruò, ěrgài, shīdì, also, known, ergai, ma. 33 42 N 102 38 E 33 700 N 102 633 E 33 700 102 633 DesignationsRamsar WetlandOfficial nameSichuan Ruo ergai Wetland National Nature ReserveDesignated2 February 2008Reference no 1731 1 The peat bog landscape alongside the Yellow RiverThe Zoige Marsh Chinese 若尔盖湿地 pinyin Ruo ergai Shidi also known as the Ruo ergai Marsh or the Songpan Grasslands is located in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau and forms the largest high altitude marsh area in the world 2 Contents 1 Location 2 Geology 3 History 4 ReferencesLocation editThe marsh areas are mainly located in northern Sichuan Province but extend into southern Gansu and southeastern Qinghai 3 The marshes are formed in a region of poor drainage that is located between the watersheds of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers The marshes are located at an altitude of about 3 600 meters above sea level and cover an area of about 2 600 square kilometers 3 To east they are bordered by the Min Mountains and to the west by the Amne Machin mountain range 3 Geology editThe marshes can be divided into four geomorphological regions the Zoige plateau plain the Hong Yuan plateau mound the A Ba plateau mountain and the Songpan Lixan Alp 2 The soil of the marshes contains a layer of peat that is about 2 to 3 meters thick in most places but can reach up to 7 meters in thickness 3 The wetland is a low level developed herbaceous swamp since the Quaternary Himalayan orogeny It is also an important water conservation area in the upper reaches of the Yellow River accounting for 29 45 of the water supply of the total upstream inflow 4 History edit nbsp Yak graze on the Zoige Grassland The Long March passed through the Zoige Marsh in August 1935 The marshes were partially drained for grazing of cattle sheep and horses in the 1970s 3 This involved digging 200 km of ditches to drain 1 400 km2 of marshland The project continued until the 1990s and exacerbated desertification problems 5 Herders reported that gold miners have also used cloud seeding cannons to prevent rainfall which has caused die offs in vegetation 5 In 1994 a nature preserve was established in the marshes From 2010 community efforts to replant local grasses have been underway with light grazing by yak allowed so that the animals can tread the seeds down and stimulate regrowth 5 On 10 November 2023 the National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued List of Important Habitats for Terrestrial Wildlife first batch with the Zoige Marsh being listed as a major habitat of the Black necked crane 6 References edit Sichuan Ruoergai Wetland National Nature Reserve Ramsar Sites Information Service Retrieved 25 April 2018 a b Shuang Xiang Ruqing Guo Ning Wu Shucun Sun Current status and future prospects of Zoige Marsh in Eastern Qinghai Tibet Plateau Ecological Engineering 35 553 562 a b c d e Britannica Educational Publishing Lakes and Wetlands The Rosen Publishing Group 2011 国际重要湿地 四川若尔盖国际重要湿地 高寒泥炭沼泽湿地 国家林业和草原局政府网 www forestry gov cn Retrieved 2024 02 03 a b c Feng Hao 14 September 2017 Yaks unleashed in fight against desertification China Dialogue Retrieved 27 September 2017 国家林业和草原局公告 2023年第23号 陆生野生动物重要栖息地名录 第一批 国家林业和草原局 www forestry gov cn Retrieved 2024 02 03 nbsp This Chinese location article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Zoige Marsh amp oldid 1202767726, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
