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Lhasa, August 19 (Xinhua) -- The second Qinghai-Tibet scientific expedition results press conference was held in Lhasa from August 18 to 19. The press conference announced that the total water volume of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the "Asian Water Tower", exceeds 10 trillion cubic meters, which is about the runoff of the Yellow River in 200 years.

According to Yao Tandong, leader of the second Qinghai-Tibet scientific expedition team and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the "Asian Water Tower" covers an area of ​​about 4 million square kilometers and has a total basin area of ​​more than 10 million square kilometers. The more than ten major rivers nurtured by the "Asian Water Tower" provide water resources for more than 2 billion people, making it the most important water tower in the world.

On October 14, 2023, the scenery of Selin Co, the largest lake in Tibet. (File photo) Photo by Jiang Feibo, a reporter from China News Service

Yao Tandong mentioned that from 1960 to 2012, the temperature rise rate of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was 0.3 to 0.4 degrees Celsius per decade, which is twice the global average temperature rise rate during the same period. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is experiencing abnormal climate warming. The "Asian Water Tower" is experiencing glacier retreat, permafrost degradation, lake expansion, increased runoff, increased glacier disasters and water resources problems.

Yao Tandong said that the implementation path of the scientific research mission to respond to changes in the "Asian Water Tower" is to clarify the reserves and characteristics, changes and mechanisms, impacts and effects, and responses.

The press conference also introduced that the "Asian Water Tower" presents the characteristics of solid-liquid phase imbalance, and the changes in surface water bodies are manifested in the rapid decrease of solid water bodies and the increase of liquid water bodies. Data show that the glacier area, snow area and permafrost area of ​​the "Asian Water Tower" have all decreased, while the water volume of lakes and the flow rate out of the mountains have increased.

In addition, the expedition team estimates that the water supply capacity of the "Asian Water Tower" will be enhanced in the medium and long term in the future. Under the scenario of global warming in the future, the precipitation pattern of the westerly-monsoon synergy will change from increased westerly precipitation and reduced monsoon precipitation to a general increase in precipitation, and the amount of glacier meltwater will further increase, and the water supply capacity of the "Asian Water Tower" will be enhanced. (End)