China Focus: China enacts regulations to protect vital global atmospheric watch station

XINING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- New regulations to safeguard China's Waliguan Baseline Observatory on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau came into effect on Sunday, marking an upgrade in the protection of the vital global atmospheric watch station and advancing the world's ability to track climate change.

The regulations aim to enhance the protection of meteorological monitoring facilities and the surrounding environment of the observatory to ensure that data collected there is "representative, accurate, uninterrupted and comparable," said Hu Jingguo, an official of the Qinghai Meteorological Bureau.

The Waliguan Baseline Observatory, located more than 3,800 meters above sea level in northwest China's Qinghai Province, went into operation in 1994. It is the sole continental baseline observatory in the Eurasian hinterland.

Its data provide critical scientific support for decision-making across various fields, including the assessment of the ecological security of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the evaluation of carbon sources and sinks in Asia, and the prediction of global climate change trends.

The carbon dioxide curves drawn using observation data produced by both the Waliguan Baseline Observatory and the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii reveal the impact of human activities on global climate change, and serve as one of the key scientific references for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

With the new regulations, Hu noted, improvements will be made primarily on three fronts. First, they clearly define the division of responsibilities among relevant local government departments and meteorological authorities to improve cooperation and prevent loopholes in the protection work.

Second, an area will be demarcated around the observatory to prevent the contamination of atmospheric samples collected within the base's boundaries, thereby safeguarding the accuracy of data collected onsite, according to Hu.

The area will be integrated into national territorial spatial planning, with physical markers such as boundary stelae and posts installed to delineate the protected area clearly.

Third, the regulations will also see that the observatory's protections are technologically empowered, Hu said.

Atmospheric background observation refers to the long-haul, fixed-point observation of thoroughly mixed atmospheric components free of local contamination, located in areas far from human activities. Data generated from such observations are more likely to reveal true atmospheric conditions and compositions.

On Sept. 17, 1994, the Waliguan Baseline Observatory was inaugurated at the top of Mount Waliguan on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Prior to that, China, the United States and the World Meteorological Organization held talks and signed a cooperation deal to establish an atmospheric background observatory in west China.

China has always been an active participant in tackling climate change. The country aims to peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. ■