Plant and Animal Life in a Taller Tibet--Possible or Not?

Back home, the Tibetan Plateau averages 4,950 meters above sea level with its highest point being Mount Everest, 8,848 meters--29,029 feet--above sea level. At such heights, problems are resulted as listed:

• The air becomes cold, dry and most importantly, thin.
• The Himalayas are so tall that they bar off the monsoon winds from reaching Tibet, turning the plateau dry enough for grasslands to dominate it.
• The most serious problem is that a thinner air means greater vulnerability to ultraviolet radiation.

Fortunately, complex life--plants and animals--find ways to deal with these problems. As a result, Tibet is alive with wolves, bears, snow leopards, yaks, asses, antelope, cranes, vultures, hawks, geese and even snakes. Of course, the one Tibetan that stands out above the rest is a species aptly called the "high-altitude jumping spider".

Now in this alternate Earth, Tibet is taller--6,000 meters above sea level on average, with the tallest point being 10,211 meters--33,500 feet--above sea level. At such heights, the three problems listed above become even more pronounced, which raises the pressure in regards to residing there. Can plant and animal life still flourish in this taller Tibet, or are our Tibetans currently living at the top of their limits?

posted almost 7 years ago

JohnWDailey‭

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