CCTV-1's 'Animals Are Coming' Leads Everyone to Rediscover Jiuzhaigou's Beauty and Unveil the Secret of Dagu Glacier's 'Blanket'

On January 16 at 18:00, CCTV-1's 'Animals Are Coming' led the whole nation to visit the charming Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Jiuzhaigou and Dagu Glacier. In response to the phenomenon of glacier melting, the program team used the camera to tell the story of the Dagu Glacier 'blanket' experiment, which also focused everyone's attention on the environmental protection of Dagu Glacier. Dagu Glacier Scenic Area is located in Heishui County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China. It is the easternmost edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the northernmost monsoon maritime modern mountain glacier in China, known as the 'garden of glacial relics.' Among them, the most spectacular glaciers No. 1, 2, and 3 cover an area of about 8.25 square kilometers and have been formed for hundreds of millions of years, serving as the soul of the entire scenic area. Against the backdrop of global warming, 90% of the world's mountain glaciers have shown a trend of melting and retreat, and Dagu Glacier is no exception. However, the Dagu Glacier Administration has always practiced the concept of green development, attaching great importance to scientific research and protection of tourism resources. They proactively cooperated with the State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science at the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to organize an experiment applying geoengineering measures to slow glacier melting on Glacier No. 17 in the scenic area. Wang Feiteng and his colleagues have been conducting scientific research related to glacier protection, including the glacier 'blanket' experiment. Will the glacier melting speed really slow down in the 'blanket' area? After one year of 'blanket' covering, Dagu Glacier reduced glacier melting thickness by 1.5 meters. Since August 2020, Wang Feiteng, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has led his team to Dagu Glacier six times for scientific research and conducted the 'blanket' experiment, which was also the first such experiment in China. In the show, from the conversation between the host and researcher Wang Feiteng, we learned that fine dust on the glacier, known as cryoconite, is one of the reasons accelerating glacier melting. Therefore, they used a highly protective and lightweight white geotextile to cover the glacier with a special 'blanket,' which increases the surface albedo while also providing thermal insulation to slow glacier melting. On October 15, 2021, researcher Wang Feiteng led his research team to Dagu Glacier No. 17 to conduct scientific research on applying artificial measures to slow the melting of Dagu Glacier. This survey found that after one year, the ice melting rate in the 'blanket' area was significantly reduced compared to the uncovered area, with a reduction in glacier melting thickness of 1.5 meters. Wang Feiteng's research team also collaborated with Nanjing University to study degradable new nanomaterials suitable for large-scale application, and promote them on a large scale on glaciers to slow glacier melting. A 10-month snow and ice cover period gives you an 'immersive' natural ice and snow experience. Because Dagu Glacier is the youngest glacier in the world, due to glacial activity, it has a 10-month snow and ice cover period and an 8-month prime 'ice viewing and snow play' season each year. Ice and snow tourism starts in October each year and can last until July of the following year. Regardless of season or time, Dagu Glacier occasionally 'willfully' snows, with pure white and clean snow, filling visitors with surprise and anticipation. After all, it is the closest glacier to a city where you can experience natural snow. By taking the world's highest passenger cable car, you can experience the grandeur of Dagu Glacier: 'crossing high mountains and valleys without climbing, standing amidst snow forests and plains without braving snow, standing at the peak of mountains without hiking.' Here, you can take in the magnificent momentum of glaciers, snow mountains, and peaks, and feel the boundless beauty of nature. More importantly, how can you not play with snow when you come to Dagu Glacier? The snow-capped peak at an altitude of 4,860 meters is accompanied by snow all year round. A series of ice and snow activities such as snowball fights, snowman building, skiing, and skating ignite the flame of winter amidst the collision of speed and passion. As the 2022 Winter Olympics are about to open, come to Dagu Glacier in advance to experience the Olympic atmosphere, and let the natural snow of Dagu Glacier give you an 'immersive' ice and snow experience. Through this CCTV-1 'Animals Are Coming' program, more viewers and tourists have learned about the beautiful scenery of Dagu Glacier and the importance of glacier protection. In the future, Dagu Glacier will continue to do well in ecological protection and ecotourism, pursuing the beauty of harmonious coexistence.