Alarming rise in temperatures at Yangtze鈥檚 source
Print Edition
The temperature of the headwaters of the Yangtze River, China鈥檚 longest river, is rising due to global warming, and the Chinese government is taking multiple measures to cope with the problem.
Recent scientific research showed that from 1956 to 2016, the warming rate in the headwaters of the Yangtze River increased by 0.346 degrees Celsius per decade. The figure is about 1.4 times the average rate of warming in China and twice the global rate.
Experts said that the rising temperature would have a series of impacts on the unique ecological environment of the area, which requires global attention and joint measures to deal with climate warming.
The headwaters of the Yangtze River are on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of over 4,500 meters. The plateau, known as 鈥渢he roof of the world,鈥 is also the birthplace of the Yellow River, the second-longest river in the country, and the Lancang River (known as the Mekong River after it flows out of China).
The area of the three river sources has been dubbed 鈥淎sia鈥檚 water tower,鈥 supplying water for nearly 3 billion people.
The temperature in the headwaters of the Yangtze River has shown a trend of fluctuating increase over the past decades, especially in the past 20 years, according to the research conducted by the Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute.
The annual average temperature in the area in the past decade increased by 1.4 degrees Celsius, compared with that of the previous 40 years.
鈥淐old, high-altitude areas like the headwaters of the Yangtze River are more sensitive to the rising temperature,鈥 said Yuan Zhe, a senior engineer of the institute who participated in the research.
鈥淭he rapid rising temperature of the headwaters of the Yangtze River is mainly due to the overall climate change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, as well as the growing global carbon dioxide emissions and the greenhouse effect,鈥 said Xu Ping, deputy chief engineer of the institute.
Researchers also found that the accelerating warming in the headwaters of the Yangtze River also has a clear influence on the plateau ecology.
Standing high at the altitude of over 5,000 meters, the Dongkemadi glacier is located at the source of a tributary of the Yangtze River.
鈥淭he Dongkemadi glacier has retreated by more than 200 meters in more than 10 years. It retreated into two glaciers in 2009,鈥 said He Xiaobo, a Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who has been observing the glacier since 2005.
In 2020 alone, the two glaciers retreated 10.1 and 15.7 meters. Vegetation in the area has also been directly impacted.
Researchers said the glaciers might never recover until they disappear completely when the temperature reaches a certain threshold in the medium and long term. The vegetation structure would be destroyed, bringing a series of ecological risks to the whole plateau, such as grassland desertification, soil erosion, and fewer animals and plants.
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