China News Service, Lanzhou, October 30 (Liu Xuemei) Zhang Qiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a distinguished researcher at the Lanzhou Arid Meteorology Institute of the China Meteorological Administration, and the director of the Key Laboratory of Arid Climate Change and Disaster Reduction of the China Meteorological Administration, said on the 30th that scientific research must be both "top of mind" and "grounded". Research must be oriented to the most cutting-edge international scientific issues, and the results must serve national development and people's lives.
On the same day, the Gansu Provincial Government Information Office held a media meeting event for "Strugglers on the New Journey" - a special session for science and technology representatives.
When talking about the starting point of scientific research, Zhang Qiang said that it is generally believed internationally that rising temperatures increase evapotranspiration, but his team found that evapotranspiration in arid and semi-arid areas decreases with warming, proposing the "anti-evaporation paradox", which directly challenges the mainstream international view. In recent years, the topic of warm and humidification in Northwest China has attracted much attention. In order to scientifically respond to social concerns, the team took the initiative to tackle the problem without financial support and formed 9 major decision-making consultation reports, 4 of which were adopted by the national “two offices”, effectively serving major national decisions.
The road to scientific research is never easy. When Zhang Qiang was conducting research on the atmospheric boundary layer in the arid areas of northwest China, his team found through long-term observations that the thickness of the boundary layer can exceed 4 kilometers, far exceeding the traditional understanding of about 1,000 meters in textbooks. At that time, there was no international precedent, and it could be said that there was no way to ask for advice. The team did not give up, but continued to conduct long-term observation and experimental verification, and confirmed it through theoretical derivation. It finally confirmed that the observation findings were correct and proposed the concept of "ultra-thick boundary layer".
When applying for key national fund projects, some experts questioned the lack of team foundation in provincial meteorological departments. Zhang Qiang's team is both internal and external: on the one hand, it organizes members to work hard to produce outstanding results and present them to the scientific and technological community; on the other hand, it repeatedly polishes the project application. After three efforts, it won the first national key fund from the provincial meteorological department and was rated as excellent in the final acceptance, answering questions with its results.
The picture shows staff from the meteorological department of Wuwei City, Gansu Province providing drought relief and disaster reduction services. Photo by Jiang Jufang
As a native of northwest China, Zhang Qiang is well aware of the troubles drought brings to this land.
Zhang Qiang said that the history of human social development is, in a sense, a history of struggle against drought. Because of this, he made up his mind to attack the "hard nut" of drought and use science to change the face of his hometown.
For more than 30 years, a meteorological research team rooted in the northwest has adhered to the front line of drought research, promoted the establishment of multiple key laboratories and talent training platforms, achieved a series of results, and promoted the Lanzhou Arid Meteorology Institute to grow into the main force of drought research in my country.
Zhang Qiang believes that failure will not necessarily become the mother of success. Failure can only become the mother of success for those who are good at summarizing, reflecting and persevering. The distance between failure and success is often only two words - persistence.
Because of this, the team has always maintained enthusiasm and confidence on the road of scientific research. Confidence comes from scientific research achievements that can break the traditional cognition in textbooks, challenge the mainstream views of authoritative experts, be widely recognized by the international academic community, and serve national development and benefit the people.
Nowadays, the team's drought monitoring technology is being implemented in the arid land of Northwest China and is bearing fruit. The scientific research results are not only going to the international academic community, but also serving the national economy and people's livelihood.
