Redian新闻
>
Lakes on Tibetan Plateau Freezing Late, Melting Early: Study

Lakes on Tibetan Plateau Freezing Late, Melting Early: Study

社会

Rising temperatures have exacerbated the impact of climate change in the region.

The lakes on the world’s highest plateau showed a trend of delayed freezing and melting that took place earlier than usual over the four decades up until 2017, a new study found, underscoring the impact of climate change on some of the planet’s most vulnerable regions.

Around four-fifths of the 132 lakes monitored on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau saw the length of time they were covered by ice shortened by a certain period ranging from a few days to over 50 days between 1978 and 2017, according to the study published Friday. It was published in Scientific Data, Nature’s open access scientific journal, by researchers from the state-backed China Academy of Sciences.

Known as Asia’s “water tower,” the Tibetan Plateau is home to many glaciers and lakes. It is the source of 10 major rivers in Asia, providing water supply to almost 2 billion people.

But warming global temperatures have led to the disappearance of some 6,000 glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau over the decades, studies show. The average temperature in the region increased by 0.42 degrees Celsius per decade from 1980 to 2018, twice the global average rate, according to a separate June study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Spatial distribution of lake ice phenology over the Tibetan Plateau. From Nature

Zhang Bing, co-author of the study, told Sixth Tone that the study is the first of its kind to look at lake freezing patterns on the Tibetan Plateau in the 40-year period, which could offer projections of future changes and help make policies in terms of production and life, such as water supply in downstream areas.

“In addition to the temperature and rainfall monitored by meteorological stations, the lake ice data serves as another indicator, which helps reflect the impact of global warming on the plateau in a comprehensive way,” Zhang said.

Friday’s study also offers an annual dataset of the freezing-up and breaking-up of lake ice on the high-altitude plateau through remote sensing and mathematical modeling supported by meteorological data. Researchers said such figures had rarely been recorded before, given ground-based observation on the Tibetan Plateau is “challenging and costly” due to high altitudes and the harsh natural environment.

The study also added new evidence about how climate change could add new risks to the ecologically vulnerable region. Previously, scientists had warned of the supply and quality of water deteriorating due to accelerated warming in the area.

Editor: Bibek Bhandari.
(Header image: Frozen Qinghai Lake on the Tibet Plateau, May 11, 2011. VCG)

Download the new Sixth Tone app at the App Store or Google Play
APK file for Android:
https://image4.sixthtone.com/pkg/sixthtone.apk
(Copy URL and open in browser)

微信扫码关注该文公众号作者

戳这里提交新闻线索和高质量文章给我们。
相关阅读
Shanghai Codifies Accessible Infrastructure for the Old, DisableOnline Study Rooms Rife With Vulgar Content, Media Report Says本周西人超市Flyer:Metro、Food Basics、Freshco...紧急曝光!微软假性Hiring Freeze真相!MeetFresh鲜芋仙Darling Square店开业了!红遍全球,City的小伙伴终于等到了!3年疫情+没完没了的Hiring Freeze,北美打工人真的扛不住了……China’s University Students Dance Like Nobody’s Watching季节刚好,红叶正艳Hunan Shuts Access to Forest Areas to Prevent More Wildfires2022庭院:菜篮子(08/20-10/07)Key Highlights From China’s Newly Revised Women’s Protection LawPrivate Study Rooms Emerge as Refuge for Examinees特斯拉社招:Site Reliability Engineer,Software QA Engineer等美国入境档案--马一浮1903年旧金山At Last, a Spring Festival Family Reunion After Three YearsFor Gen-Z, Entrepreneurship Represents a Ticket to Freedom秋招战绩 | 恭喜 美本英研学员 T同学 斩获 Burlington Stores Analyst 全职 Offer!Jetstar推出Fly a Friend for FREE活动!机票买一送一!特别适合跟小伙伴或者伴侣一起度假Hiring Freeze 回春渺茫,靠BQ破冰How Hangzhou Freed West Lake and Upended Chinese TourismBeats Studio3 Wireless Over‑Ear HeadphonesFor China’s Students, the COVID Wave Comes at the Cruelest TimeWith More People Getting Sick, China’s Restaurants Are StrugglinWith Borders Reopening, Many Chinese Are Ready to Travel Again[语法] entirely 与utterly 都表示“完全”,啥区别?1024程序员节,亚马逊云部门AWS也Hiring Freeze了。。。Are Audiences Still Interested in ‘Three Body’ Adaptations?​Retell Lecture / Summarize Spoken Text 究竟如何练习秋日琐记 (2)The Overseas Students Trapped Between Two Pandemic Realities文艺界(文革前)谁年纪最轻,工资级别最高?Staying Negative: New Covid Policies Bring Memes AplentyRecommend somebody to do something是错误说法吗?为什么可以说libraries are a good place to study?【明日截单】Threeezero威震天,PRESENT剪刀手爱德华最后预定!
logo
联系我们隐私协议©2024 redian.news
Redian新闻
Redian.news刊载任何文章,不代表同意其说法或描述,仅为提供更多信息,也不构成任何建议。文章信息的合法性及真实性由其作者负责,与Redian.news及其运营公司无关。欢迎投稿,如发现稿件侵权,或作者不愿在本网发表文章,请版权拥有者通知本网处理。