Glaciers in China's bleak, rugged Qilian mountains are disappearing at a shocking rate as global warming brings unpredictable change and raises the prospect of crippling, long-term water shortages, scientists say.
At least a third of the ice in the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush will thaw in this century as temperatures rise, disrupting river flows vital for growing crops from China to India, scientists said on Monday.
Central Asia’s glaciers make up the third-largest mass of frozen fresh water on earth, the planet’s “third pole.” The region is the source of 10 major river systems, supplying irrigation, power and drinking water to over 1.3 billion people.
San Francisco -
A new device, the Third Pole is able to generate nitric oxide (NO) from the air that can help improve oxygenation and treat pulmonary hypertension a common problem among some newborns.
Lhasa -
Chinese scientists have found that glacial lakes in the Third Pole region of the Earth are experiencing an increase in size due to global warming. The study was the first comprehensive study of the region to be conducted for 1990, 2000, and 2010.
Glacier of China - See explanation at end of article.
Byronace (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Image of the Qilian Mountains taken on May 9, 2016.
Stefan Wagener
Sulixiang village, along mthe Shule River. The river is fed by glaciers in the Qilian Mountains, and now, flucuations in water sometimes leaves the river dried up.
