China completed its second catalog West Glacier shrinkage of glaciers 18%| | glacier shrinkage of glaciers _ news

Xinhuanet, Beijing, December 13 (reporter Wu Jingjing)-cold and arid regions environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing on 13th release of the second glacier in China cataloguing. Research has shown that glaciers in Western China shows the shrinking area around shrink 18%.

Glacier is the most sensitive to climate change and direct information. From 1978 to 2002, the glacier for the first time in China cataloguing, 50-80 's more than century of topographic maps and air photos for aerial photography as the main data source, totals compiled directories 46,377 glaciers, 59425 square kilometers of the total area, an estimated reserves of about 5600 cubic kilometers of ice.

In recent decades, global climate warming glaciers around the world are showing shrinking State, glaciers in West China has also undergone significant changes. 2006 Ministry of science and technology set up the glacier resource and its changes in China survey project. In its funding from the cold and arid regions environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences and other units to carry out the second glacier in China cataloguing, using remote sensing images between 2006 to 2010, to a system update distribution status of glaciers in Western China.

Statistics show that there are glaciers in Western China 48,571, 51840 square kilometers of the total area, estimated ice reserve of 4494 cubic kilometers. Through the comparison of two glaciers catalog, found that since the late 50 's of last century, glaciers in Western China shows the shrinking area around shrink 18%, average annual area of 243.7 smaller square kilometers per year. Chinese Altai Mountains and glacier retreat on the most significant of the gangdise mountains, glacier area shrank by 37.2% and 32.7%, respectively; Himalayan mountain, tanggula mountains, Tian Shan, Pamir and the Hengduan Mountains and the nyainqentanglha range and glacier change in qilian mountain range centered glaciers shrinking 21% 27.2%; Karakoram, Kunlun and Altun, the qiangtang plateau mountain is reduced from 8.4% to 11.3%.

Judging from the glacier average shrinking ratio, Qinghai-Tibet plateau in southern Shanxi Province South of the eastern section of the gangdise mountains and the Himalayas, Himalayan India rivers such as the river is the fastest-shrinking glaciers in the West region in China, with an average annual decline of up to 2.2% per year. Qiangtang plateau is the smallest glaciers shrink, area, average area reduction ratio is approximately 0.2% per year.

Xinhua NET