{"id":16149,"date":"2007-12-21T21:13:58","date_gmt":"2007-12-22T04:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2007\/12\/21\/more-than-four-in-five-chinese-glaciers-retreating-people-online\/"},"modified":"2009-01-30T12:03:25","modified_gmt":"2009-01-30T19:03:25","slug":"more-than-four-in-five-chinese-glaciers-retreating-people-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2007\/12\/more-than-four-in-five-chinese-glaciers-retreating-people-online\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than Four in Five Chinese Glaciers Retreating – People Online"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/a> \nChina’s glaciers have retreated 7.4% on average compared with the period between 1950s-1980s, according to a recent glacier resources survey led by former meteorological chief Qin Dahe, a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The survey covered nearly 20,000 square kilometers of clean-cap glaciers in China.\n<\/p>\n \nGlaciers that have been retreating significantly include those in the Ili River<\/a> (\u4f0a\u7281\u6cb3) basin, Junggar Basin<\/a> (\u51c6\u5676\u5c14\u76c6\u5730) and Yarlung Zangbo<\/a> River (\u96c5\u9c81\u85cf\u5e03\u6c5f<\/span>) upper reaches, shrinking by over 18%. Those on the Qilan<\/a> (\u7941\u8fde\u5c71<\/span>), Animaqing (\u963f\u5c3c\u739b\u537f\u5c71<\/span>) mountains and along the Lancang<\/a> (Mekong) River.\n<\/p>\n \nChinese scientists have recorded the average temperature in China’s west region rising by 0.2 degree centigrade every ten years, contributing to the fact that 82% of the glaciers are retreating and the total area has shrunk by 4.5%.\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nGlaciers are a major source of water and glacial feed to the Yellow River equals the river’s water volume into the Bohai Sea. In dry northwestern regions, glaciers are particularly important, feeding 30-80% to the Tarim River and others. It’s urgent to protect China’s glaciers, experts say. [Full Text in Chinese<\/a>]\n<\/p>\n \nAlso related, China News Agency reports that the Hexi corridor and oases are endangered by the melting Qilian glaciers. Translated by CDT:\n<\/p>\n \n<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nAn ancient oases-dotted trade route known as the Hexi Corridor<\/a> (\u6cb3\u897f\u8d70\u5eca) has become increasingly endangered by melting glaciers that feed its fertile lands surrounded by deserts and other dry land.\n<\/p>\n \nMore than 2,000 melting glaciers on the Qilian Mountains, sending downhill 7.26 billion cubic meters of water a year, are the major source of water for Shiyang (\u77f3\u7f8a\u6cb3), Hei (\u9ed1\u6cb3) and Shule (\u758f\u52d2\u6cb3) Rivers, all of whom don’t flow to a sea. They are the reason why there are more than 70 hectares of productive farm land and this region is known as one of China’s grain bases.\n<\/p>\n \nWith rising temperatures, however, accelerated melting of glaciers have cut back the water source for the river by one billion cubic meters since 1970s. In some areas, the snow lines have been climbing two to 6.5 meters every year. It’s estimated that glaciers two square kilometers or smaller will disappear by 2050.\n<\/p>\n \nWith a dropping water supply, the corridor has also become an important source for sand that feeds the dust storms raging through north China. Experts warn that if Qilian is not protected, the Hexi Corridor will also be threatened. Gansu Province has not only started to control population growth and conserve agricultural water use, but also has been trying to bomb clouds to increase rainfall, adding 700 million cubic meters of rain a year. [Full Text in Chinese<\/a>]\n<\/p>\n \n[Image: Map of Hexi Corridor via meet-greatwall.org]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Translated by CDT from People Online: China’s glaciers have retreated 7.4% on average compared with the period between 1950s-1980s, according to a recent glacier resources survey led by former meteorological chief Qin Dahe, a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The survey covered nearly 20,000 square kilometers of clean-cap glaciers in China. Glaciers that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[99,132,4202],"tags":[6679,3099],"class_list":["post-16149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cdt-highlights","category-environmental-crisis","category-translation","tag-climate-change","tag-glaciers","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n
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Translated by CDT from People Online:\n<\/p>\n