Impacted by global warming, glaciers in the Geladandong area, the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, have been retreating markedly since 2004, according to the Qinghai Provincial Remote Sensing Center.
As a major supplier of the Yangtze River’s headwater, glaciers in the Geladangdong Area are vital to water resource conditions and the ecological system on the river’s upper reaches.
The three largest glaciers in the area retreated to 173.75 sq km, 635.75 sq km and 77.25 sq km in 2009 from 197.75 sq km, 702 sq km and 85.5 sq km, respectively.
Though the three glaciers experienced small expansion in 2005 and 2008, a noticeable shrinkage still continues as a whole, said Li Xiaodong, a staff of the center.
