"Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Glaciers Shrink by 24% in 60 Years...Concerns Over Frequent Glacial Disasters"
As a result of the massive casualties caused by a landslide in the Himalayas near the China-Nepal border, concerns are mounting that glacial disasters could continue to occur on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China due to future global warming.
According to China News Service on September 3 (local time), Gao Rong, Deputy Director of the National Climate Center under the China Meteorological Administration, stated at a government press conference the previous day that with global warming, glacial disasters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are likely to occur more frequently in the future.
On the 1st (local time), the area around Wire Dam in Rasua, Nepal, was covered with mud and debris. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
View original imageHe explained that global warming is accelerating the melting of mountain glaciers worldwide, raising their temperature, increasing their flow rate, and making dynamic glacial activities more frequent. He added that, especially since 2010, the collapse of mountain glaciers has been on the rise globally. In China, these mountain glaciers are mainly distributed throughout the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region.
Deputy Director Gao stated, "As the climate of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau becomes warmer and more humid, the melting of glaciers is accelerating." He added, "Over the past 60 years, the total area of glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has decreased by approximately 24%, and around 7,000 small glaciers have completely disappeared."
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He further noted that both the number and size of glacial lakes formed by melting glaciers are increasing, leaving the glaciers in an unstable state. He expressed concern that the internal structural stability of glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau may become even lower in the future. Deputy Director Gao said, "Due to the chain amplification effect of disasters, the scale of damage and the affected area could expand."
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