Chinese researchers see climate change link to glacial collapse, warn of rising disaster risks
Study finds Tibetan plateau’s glacier area fallen to 39,000 square kilometres down from 51,000 square kilometres, with more than 14,000 glacial lakes observed
Chinese researchers have established a direct connection between global warming and the catastrophic glacial collapse that occurred on August 26th along the Nepal-China border, warning of escalating disaster risks in the region. The retreat of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau, attributed to increasing temperatures, has been particularly severe in southern areas, including the Gangdise, Nyenchen Tanglha, and Himalayas, with glacier coverage shrinking by approximately 40 percent over the past six decades, according to the latest research conducted by Chinese scientists.
This reduction in glacier size has directly contributed to the proliferation of over 14,000 glacial lakes, spanning a combined area of more than 1,100 square kilometers. The report emphasizes that the "most pronounced growth" in glacial lake expansion has been observed near China's southern borders, with an average annual increase of 1% in lake coverage.
Experts stress the urgent need for enhanced mapping and data sharing regarding these lakes due to the potential for devastating glacial lake outburst floods and landslides in downstream areas.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
