资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Characterizing the spatial distribution of precipitation across the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is important for understanding how the topography and atmospheric circulation influence the climatic patterns of the region. We collected 143 surface soil samples from the central and southeastern TP for rock magnetic characterization of the spatial distribution of the pedogenic intensity. Comparison with meteorological data shows that pedogenic intensity decreases significantly along the pathway of moist air across the southeastern TP towards the interior, and that there is a positive correlation between pedogenic magnetite/maghemite content and MAP. By contrast, the samples from the central TP show a low degree of pedogenic alteration, consistent with the limited precipitation within this area. The results indicate the possibility of using magnetic properties of surface soils to determine the precipitation distribution in areas lacking meteorological stations. These observations, combined with published soil magnetic results, help to define the climatic boundary in the TP.