Low-elevation glaciers on Qinghai-Xizang Plateau may vanish permanently: scientists

LHASA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- In August 2019, Iceland held a memorial event for a glacier lost to climate change, and now Chinese scientists are sounding the alarm that some low-elevation glaciers on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau may disappear permanently, which could significantly impact the plateau's ecosystem.

By the end of the 21st century, the loss of glacial mass in some regions of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau will exceed 50 percent, according to model predictions.

Over the past five decades, the plateau has witnessed rapid warming, with a temperature increase of about 0.4 degrees Celsius every 10 years, more than double the global average warming rate during the same period.

"Taking the Rongbuk Glacier at the foot of Mount Qomolangma as an example, the length and height of it are both shrinking," said Wu Guangjian, a researcher at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Wu added that global warming has caused the rate of glacier evaporation to exceed precipitation, and small glaciers at lower elevations on the plateau are melting more rapidly and are likely to disappear in the future.

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is the region with the most glaciers outside the polar regions. Data shows that the glaciers on the plateau holds over 8 trillion cubic meters of water, providing essential water resources for more than 2 billion people downstream.

"The model shows that lake water levels in some areas of the plateau might rise by over 10 meters at the end of the century, which could enhance the plateau's overall water supply capacity," said Yao Tandong, an academician at the CAS and the leader of China's ongoing second scientific expedition and research project on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

"However, it also increases the risk of glacier collapses and glacial lake outburst floods," Yao added.

In this project, Chinese scientists have used high-precision radar for the first time to obtain a continuous profile of snow and ice thickness at the summit of Mount Qomolangma, as well as accurate measurements of its ice and snow depth.

In addition, the construction of the hydrometeorological observation system was successfully completed at the exit of the Dasuopu Glacier basin at 5,000 meters and at the glacier pass at 7,000 meters on Mount Shishapangma. Ice core samples were also extracted from the Dasuopu Glacier, providing key data on the impact of glacier retreat on hydrological processes.

Wu said that the world needs to reach a consensus on addressing climate warming and take action as soon as possible.

"Otherwise, we will witness the disappearance of glaciers in more regions across the globe," Wu added.