Elmar R. Reiter,1 J. D. Sheaffer,1 J. E. Bossert,1 Tibet Revisited—TIPMEX-86 Eric A. Smith,2 Greg Stone,3 Robert McBeth,4 and Qinglin Zheng5 Abstract compared to dust, sand, and gravel, invited the drivers to demonstrate their daring, especially during passing maneu- A long-planned field-measurement program to determine surface- vers at breakneck speeds around curves, along precipices and energy budgets at two sites in Tibet was carried out during June 1986 in collaboration with scientists from the State Meteorological Ad- over hill crests. ministration, Academy of Meteorological Sciences, People's Repub- Peasants in sheepskin coats, carrying bundles of food, hay, lic of China. The data set obtained in Tibet is unique for this remote firewood, and even an occasional yak-skin boat, still popu- region of the world. The present report describes some of the expe- lated the highways. So did pony or donkey carts. But gleam- riences of the United States scientific team and its medical officer, M. Otteman of Ft. Collins, Colorado. The data are presently being ar- ing bicycles with well-dressed ladies and gentlemen pedaling chived on computer tapes. Preliminary analysis results are presented at leisurely pace, new Isuzu trucks, Nissan, and Toyota lim- as typical examples of the conditions encountered at the two experi- ousines and 4-wheelers started to clog the roads as we neared mental sites near Lhasa (3635 m) and Nagqu (4500 m). Lhasa, the imposing capital of Xizang Autonomous Region. The air was filled with the constant blaring of automobile horns to disperse the throngs of bicyclists, pedestrians, cattle, and sheep. The Potala palace on its majestic perch on top of a 1. Return to Tibet dominating hill still gleamed with its gilt roofs, but a huge TV antenna with its Eiffel Tower shaped struts and girders now For most of the United States team (i.e. the authors of this competes as a new landmark on a smaller hill that formerly report and Merlin Otteman, a Ft. Collins surgeon and the carried the lamaist medical college. Watching television has expedition's medical officer) the 7000-m peaks and glaciers become one of the foremost communal evening pleasures in of eastern Tibet were a formidable barrier between Chengdu, Lhasa. Sichuan, and an unknown land of adventure, described by We gaped as we drove by the new Lhasa Hotel, replete with travelers such as Harrer, Sven Hedin, and Han Suyin. For gushing fountain, Holiday Inn architecture (and manage- the senior author the view spreading underneath the vintage ment) and a parking lot full of modern buses, taxis, and wait- Boeing 707 evoked memories of a previous journey into the ing chauffeurs. We were even more surprised as we pulled up unknown (Reiter and Reiter, 1981). Would Tibet still be the to the entrance of the spanking new Tibet Guest House (Xi- same, with dusty roads, a few old Chinese "Liberation" zang Binguan), bedecked with bunting and Chinese lanterns. trucks among pedestrians and donkey carts, curious natives The senior author's credibility, after having warned the ex- swinging prayer wheels, spartan accommodations with the pedition members about spartan living conditions, was pervasive smell of burning yak dung and rancid yak butter about to receive its final blow. (Fig. 1). candles? We were still unpacking suitcases when a din from fire- Stepping into bright sunshine and brisk mountain air at crackers, drums, and cymbals made us rush outside. The Lhasa Airport was a welcome relief after the muggy heat of opening ceremony for the new guest house was in full swing, Beijing and Chengdu. It was 1 June 1986, and the monsoonal with Party Vice-Chairman Mao Rubo cutting a red ribbon rains were expected soon. The old outhouse near the runway and a swarm of dignitaries suffering through interminable offered a familiar sight, but the "fragrant" adobe structure of speeches and then descending on a beautiful buffet of delica- years past had yielded to a concrete edifice of similar design cies to which we were graciously invited. Mao turned out to and unadorned functionality. There, again, were a few Tibe- be an ex-meteorologist and became a highly interested sup- tan girls giggling at the new arrivals and coyly disappearing porter of our scientific goals. Pretty Tibetan waitresses with into the outhouse if a camera was raised to the eye. But a new long, dark hair, decked out in touristic adaptations of Tibe- hotel or dormitory structure near the gate of the air field fore- tan costumes, served warm beer and cola and—lo and be- boded changes. We did not have to worry about luggage. hold—ice cubes, which did not prompt rapid trips to the There now was a downtown airline office where baggage bathroom, because they were made from boiled water. could be retrieved conveniently later during the day. We were Where had the dusty maidens of 1980 with their tangled whisked along the 60-mile road to Lhasa, now black-topped hairdos gone? (We still found them roaming around the bur- but still bumpy. The better tire traction offered by tar as geoning "free markets" and in the remote villages, but they appear to be a vanishing breed.) We ventured out into the old part of Lhasa, by taxi from 1 Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo. the hotel, but per pedes apostolorum back, because cabs are 2 Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla. impossible to find once you have abandoned them. The tem- 3 Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, N. Mex. ple in the heart of town does as brisk a business as ever, but a 4 National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo. new, wide and open square in front, flanked by new buildings 5 Academy of Meteorological Sciences, State Meteorological Ad- with traditional architecture, brings its role as communal ministration, Beijing, People's Republic of China. hub into better focus. Whereas in 1980 tourist were an un- © 1987 American Meteorological Society known species, hence souvenir trading was an art yet to be Bulletin American Meteorological Society 607 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/03/21 08:06 PM UTC 608 Vol. 68, No. 6, June 1987 learned, and souvenir hunters could hardly bag a single, overpriced item of dubious quality, now hawkers with layers of turquoise and coral jewelry around their necks descend on flocks of tourists and follow them, thrusting out their wares, quoting prices in English or punching them into their pocket calculators, inviting response bids by asking "How much?" or by holding the calculator keyboard under your nose. There are no fixed prices and lively bargaining with a street vendor immediately attracts an interested audience and competitive "merchants." Lamas selling printed prayer flags, penitents prostrating themselves in a muscle-wrenching, clockwise procession around the temple, sage brush "incense" smoldering in in- cinerators attest to the religious presence in Tibet. As in other cities in China, there now are thriving "free markets" where anything from yak butter, meat, vegetables, and clothing is FIG. 1. TIPMEX team (McBeth and Stone had already left for sold from open stalls. These markets, not present in 1980, can the U.S.). Front row: Ring Wang, Changhan Zhu, Pengju Wang, now be found even in the back country, however sanitary Yijun Liu, James Bossert, Shuhua Li, Xiepong Zhao, Yu Uang; Back conditions as well as quality of lodging and food decreases in row: Eric Smith, Elmar Reiter, Merlin Otteman, John Sheaffer, proportion to the distance from Lhasa. Wanlong Chen. Our second field station at Nagqu, a small town of about 3 000 population that spreads out on the high (4500 m) and airline officials between Beijing, Chengdu, and Lhasa, but windy plateau about 300 km to the north of Lhasa gave our eventually everything showed up intact at our point of team a glimpse of Tibet before the tourist invasion. This destination. settlement lies on the (now paved) Lhasa-Golmud-Xining Finding suitable measurement sites was not a trivial matter highway, has a newly built hotel (without amenities) and is as and required long and arduous negotiations with officialdom. bleak as the surrounding hills. The frequent hail squalls do Besides the requirements of site representativeness and suit- nothing to cheer up the traveler. The trip between Lhasa and able wind fetch for turbulence measurements, there were ad- Nagqu is not without rewards. It leads through the Trans- ditional boundary conditions: accessibility without excessive himalayas (Nyainqentanglha Shan) with spectacular vistas commuting expenses (more difficult to meet in Lhasa than in of glacier-capped peaks, some in excess of 7 000 m, and fol- Nagqu) and site security (we ended up hiring Tibetan guards lows the upper reaches of the Lhasa River. The breakneck to pitch their tents, or spread out their bed rolls, inside the speed with which our drivers negotiated the bumpy road fenced perimeter of each site, thus safeguarding our ane- made the journey less enjoyable and caused damage to some mometers against conversion into prayer wheels). The Lhasa of our instruments. Working at 4 500 m is no picnic either. site was located about 300-m north of the Yarlungzangbo Sleep is difficult for lack of oxygen, and loss of appetite is as River, 10 km to the west of our hotel (or 15 km from "down- much due to high-altitude syndrome as to the limited re- town" Lhasa) on flat and open ground belonging to the sources available to the cooks. The United States and Chi- Agricultural Experiment Station. Even though not irrigated, nese teams took shifts in manning the Nagqu station. Seeing the soil was rather moist because of the high ground-water the Nagqu relief team take off from Lhasa resembled watch- table, evident from a lagoon of stagnant water approximately ing a "chain gang" being marched off to labor.