On September 14, 2015, Chinese scientists came to the Tarim Basin in the northwest inland.
Under the scorching sun of more than 40 degrees, in the long yellow sand, scientists actually discovered that this place actually contains a large amount of water resources, which is ten times the total of the five Great Lakes in North America.
Perhaps we will be surprised, how can the inland Tarim Basin have abundant water resources? If water resources were abundant, would there still be a desert here?
The scientific community later gave the answer. In fact, the Tarim Basin we saw is indeed very scarce in surface water.
There is no surface water, there are not many lakes here, and the climate has always been unbearably hot.
But the lack of surface water does not mean that the groundwater resources here are in the same situation.
The Tarim Basin covers an area of more than 400,000 square kilometers, which is one-third larger than the North China Plain. The terrain of the entire basin is very low, so it is like a reservoir.
This is China's largest inland basin, covering a vast area.
The groundwater in the basin comes partly from the Tarim River, more from seepage from some channels and fields, and partly from glacier meltwater.
According to estimates by scientists, the groundwater reserves in the Tarim Basin are approximately 11 to 14.8 billion cubic meters.
Comparing this water storage capacity with that of the Yangtze River, the annual flow of the Yangtze River is about one trillion cubic meters, and the groundwater in the Tarim Basin is more than one percent of that of the Yangtze River.
This number is quite impressive. As long as it is properly utilized, agriculture can indeed be developed in the Tarim Basin.
's rational use of groundwater can not only alleviate the lack of fresh water for surrounding residents in spring, but also improve the ecological environment to a great extent.
Maybe we will suddenly wonder, if the entire Tarim Basin is filled with fresh water, what changes will happen to the surrounding areas?
The Tarim Basin and Caspian Sea
In fact, in the language of Uyghur , "Tarim" means the place where rivers gather.
This can also indirectly prove that the Tarim Basin was once a paradise with rich water and grass.
Kashgar River, Weigan River, and Tarim River, these seasonal rivers that rely on glacier meltwater, nourish the Uyghur people.
In some mountainous areas with sufficient water resources, oasis agriculture has flourished.
The quality of melon and fruit products grown in the Tarim Basin is much higher than that in other regions.
Good lighting conditions and a large temperature difference between day and night are all conducive to the accumulation of sugar in fruits.
But in the Tarim Basin, what we cannot ignore is the Taklimakan Desert .
This desert is located south of the Tarim River, covering an area of .337 million square kilometers. It is the second largest mobile desert in the world.
If the entire basin was filled with water, it would undoubtedly cover the entire Taklimakan Desert.
Tianshan , Kunlun Mountains and Altun Mountains are three mountain ranges with an altitude of more than 6,000 meters, which isolate all water vapor from the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south.
The east side is too far away from the Pacific Ocean, so it never rains here almost all year round.
The Tarim Basin, located inland, is flanked by three mountain ranges, forming an oval-shaped low area.
In terms of geological structure, the Tarim Basin is on the edge of several large faults and is a stable block formed by fault activity.
can extend up to 1,400 kilometers from east to west and up to 520 kilometers from north to south.
After all, the Tarim Basin is still located between mountains, and the terrain is still at a certain height relative to sea level.
The lowest point in the basin is Lop Nur, which is a full 780 meters higher than the sea level.
Taking Old Lop Nur as the center and filling the Tarim Basin with water, a large inland lake of more than 300,000 square kilometers will be formed.
The largest inland lake in the world is the Caspian Sea, which covers an area of about 300,000 square kilometers.
Perhaps from the impact of the Caspian Sea on surrounding areas, we can speculate how much changes it will bring to the northwest region if the Tarim Basin is filled with water.
The Caspian Sea is a famous saltwater lake in the world. It is located at the junction of the Eurasian continent and is surrounded by many countries.
The Caspian Sea is not a sea, but a lake. The reason why it is named "Caspian Sea" is because of its vast area. When people see a lake, it is like seeing a vast ocean.
The Caspian Sea, which borders five countries, has many similarities with seawater in its hydrological characteristics.
There are many beaches on the shores of the Caspian Sea, and they also have the same ecosystem as the ocean. Shipping on the Caspian Sea is very developed.
Although it is an inland saltwater lake, the salt content of the Caspian Sea is still slightly lower than that of sea water.
Moreover, there are many tributaries flowing into the northern part of the Caspian Sea, which are supplemented by fresh water resources. The salt content in the northern part is only 0.2%.
The Caspian Sea has a huge difference in salinity. The southern part lacks tributaries and the salinity is more than 65 times that of the northern part.
This has also resulted in many wild animal and plant resources in the Caspian Sea. Salmon and sturgeons are distributed in large numbers. Some seals were even left in the Caspian Sea during the process of historical evolution.
However, due to the large area of the Caspian Sea, although there are thousands of species of wild animals and plants, on average, the number of biological species in the Caspian Sea is still low.
Moreover, species in the Caspian Sea also gather in large numbers in the freshwater areas with shallower water and lower salinity in the northern lake.
The survival of animals and plants is largely affected by salt. The ecological environment is very fragile and does not allow human intervention.
However, in the past century, due to human production activities, the fresh water supply of the Caspian Sea has become less and less, and the water level of the Caspian Sea has also continued to decline.
Located in a desert and semi-desert, the Caspian Sea faces the same situation as the Tarim Basin, with extremely severe evaporation.
The area of the Caspian Sea has become smaller and smaller as time goes by, and the homes where organisms can survive have been destroyed.
People in the upper reaches of the Volga River and Volga River continue to build reservoirs, and water for irrigation and industry has further exacerbated the rising salinity of the Caspian Sea.
Caspian Sea In recent years, the average temperature in the nearby area has also been rising, and it is no longer the original home where wild animals can live.
If the Tarim Basin turns into a lake
From the case of the Caspian Sea, we can imagine that if the Tarim Basin turns into a large lake, what changes will the surrounding climate have?
First of all, experts believe that the Tarim Basin is surrounded by high mountains. After the lake is formed, tributaries will flow in from all directions.
This means that the water system in the Tarim Basin is very unique. It is a centripetal water system with the surroundings moving closer to the center.
Fresh water is replenished everywhere, so there is no place with high or low salt content in this lake.
A lake with very even salinity. We also imagine that this lake has moderate salinity and is suitable for the survival of animals and plants.
The solar radiation here is very abundant. Throughout the year, the sunshine duration is about 3,000 hours.
The average temperature will also be greatly reduced due to the existence of the lake. The summer will not be so hot and the winter will not be too cold.
The humid climate will directly turn some of the surrounding flatter areas into farmland with abundant water and grass.
The development of agriculture and animal husbandry will also have strong development potential with the support of water resources.
The Tarim Basin has been a major cotton-producing area in inland China since ancient times. The climate conditions here are very consistent with the growth needs of medium- and late-maturing upland cotton and long-staple cotton .
Korla fragrant pears , Kuqa white apricots, Turpan grapes are all famous local specialties.
The Tarim Basin also has a large amount of oil and gas resources. It is the largest oil and gas sedimentary basin in my country.
However, because a lot of oil and gas are distributed in areas with extremely harsh climate conditions, the amount currently mined by China only accounts for a small part. The proven oil content in the
basin has reached 16 billion tons. Geologists believe that in the 21st century, the Tarim Basin will lead the development of China's oil industry.
If the climate environment of the Tarim Basin is greatly improved, the extremely rich reserves of natural gas and oil resources in the basin can be developed, which can greatly enhance China's comprehensive national strength.
The wind and sand that originally troubled the Chinese people will be greatly alleviated, and people will no longer have to endure the devastation of hot dry wind and sand.
Nowadays, in the southern part of the Tarim Basin, due to the lack of surface water resources and the strong wind here, many cities will be covered by wind and sand for about 20 to 30 days a year. After
becomes a lake, these natural disasters will no longer exist, and the coverage of nearby vegetation will also increase a lot.
At the same time, due to the huge evaporation of lakes in summer, there will be a lot of water vapor in the sky above the northwest region.
Under the influence of northwest wind, this water vapor reaches China's Inner Mongolia Plateau, , North China Plain and other places. More than 2 million square kilometers of land will benefit a lot from this water vapor.
The amount of evaporated water vapor will not be as unpredictable as the southeast monsoon that affects precipitation in the east. There will be an average value.
The precipitation brought by evaporated water vapor will not be too much all at once, causing some floods.
The arid climate in the north and northwest will be greatly improved by this water vapor.
Water is beneficial to all things. With water, the Tarim Basin, which was originally barren in biomass, will become full of vitality.
Maybe some large and small fish will appear in the Tarim Basin, and the surrounding residents can also rely on the Tarim Basin to develop fisheries and form a complete industrial chain.
As a vast inland lake, located in northwest China and bordered by many neighboring countries, nearby shipping will definitely be very convenient, and the Tarim Basin will definitely become a new transportation hub.
In addition to the development of fishery and transportation, the Tarim Basin can also develop tourism.
Mountains, blue sky, lakes, people can hardly imagine that they can see the "sea" inland. Such scenery is indeed very attractive.
Man and nature live in harmony
Similar to the Caspian Sea, after the Tarim Basin turns into a lake, the ecological environment here will be extremely fragile. Improper use by people will make the Tarim Basin repeat the mistakes of the Caspian Sea.
Therefore, even if the Talis Basin has turned into a lake, people's daily production activities should not be too much.
People need to produce appropriately within the scope allowed by nature and cannot exceed the carrying capacity of the environment.
The best way out is to develop tourism and related service industries, and the economic benefits they bring will not be any worse than those of industry and agriculture.
In today's world, many countries rely on tourism as a pillar industry. The income brought by tourism every year puts some countries in the ranks of developed countries.
The tourism industry will not pollute the environment excessively, and will achieve a harmonious coexistence between man and nature. It is a sustainable green economy.
Of course, all this is our imagination, but there is indeed rich groundwater resources in the Tarim Basin.
Moreover, in ancient times, the Tarim Basin was also a vast ocean, and scientists in some mountain ranges also discovered fossils of ancient marine life.
Only later, with the separation and connection of various continental plates, did the Tarim Basin slowly evolve from a vast ocean into a lake.
As for inland lakes, as time goes by, their evaporation volume becomes larger and larger, and less and less fresh water is injected into them.
Just like the Caspian Sea today, the water level of the Caspian Sea continues to drop at a rate of 30 centimeters every year.
Thousands of years ago, the Tarim Basin was a peaceful land with abundant water and grass, and many traces of human habitation appeared nearby.
The aborigines of the Tarim Basin before the Han Dynasty were all Yuezhi people or Tocharian people from Europe.
In terms of geographical classification, they all belong to the Caucasian race. They came to the Tarim Basin because of the bitter cold in the Siberian Plain.
After the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian's passage to the Western Regions made the Chinese nation aware of the existence of the northwest region.
The Chinese nation also began to compete with the Huns for the vast area of the Tarim Basin.
The Han people also continued to migrate towards the Tarim Basin during this process.
After all, it is relatively stable there and does not have to bear heavy taxes. Although there are sometimes invasions by foreign enemies, it is generally relatively stable.
In this process of ethnic integration, people of various ethnic groups who moved south and west gradually formed new ethnic groups.
Turkic and Rouran successively established the nomadic political power here.
After six or seven centuries of development, the process of national integration has been completed.
The residents of the Tarim Basin are finally generally consistent in politics, economy, language, culture and religion.
So a new national community - the Uyghurs was finally formed.
In the process of the formation of the Uyghur people, we can also make reasonable assumptions about the natural conditions of the Tarim Basin at that time.
During the Han Dynasty, the natural environment of the Tarim Basin was still relatively suitable for human habitation. Otherwise, there would not be so many people choosing to travel long distances and migrate here to settle down.
The Uyghurs call the land that raised them "Tarim" with rich water resources, which can also prove that at that time, the Tarim Basin was indeed an oasis.
However, today, the ecological environment of the Tarim Basin has become extremely bad, and the Taklimakan Desert is even more dangerous.
In recent decades, due to improper irrigation, the development of oasis agriculture has also encountered some problems.
However, people are gradually realizing that they need to live in harmony with nature and are constantly improving environmental problems.
Finally, I hope that more and more oases will appear in the Tarim Basin, making the Tarim Basin once again a paradise for living.
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editor | Don’t miss the little star
