Glaciers on Tibetan Plateau retreating
Print Edition
THE speed at which glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau have been retreating due to rising temperatures has been increasing since the 1990s, according to a report on the environmental change in the region released yesterday.
The effect climate change has on glaciers can best be seen in the progress or retreat of ice, the scientific evaluation report on environmental change of the Tibetan Plateau, published by the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, found.
Glacier loss in the Tibetan Plateau is most prominent in the Himalayan Mountains and in southeastern Tibet, whereas glaciers in the Karakoram and Western Kunlun region are relatively stable or have progressed due to increasing precipitation, the report said.
Both the number and area of lakes in the Tibetan Plateau increased notably. The number of lakes exceeding 1 square kilometer rose from 1,081 in the 1970s to 1,236 in 2010. Eighty percent of lakes in the region have been expanding.
Due to glacier melt, increased precipitation and reduced evaporation, the water level in 152 of the 200 lakes monitored by satellite in the region rose, while that in the remaining 48 dropped, the report said.
The overall situation of ecological system on the Tibetan Plateau is improving as the boundaries of frigid and sub-frigid zones are expanding westward and northward.
The report also noted that the area and growing stock of forest on the plateau have increased significantly since 1998, from 7.29 million hectares in 1997 to 14.72 million hectares in 2013 and 2.09 billion cubic meters in 1997 to 2.26 billion cubic meters in 2013, respectively.
The increase is mainly attributed to efforts of forestry conservation and restoration, the report said.
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