Beijing: Due to increasing rainfall and melting glaciers due to climate change, many lakes in Tibet located in the picturesque Himalayan region will be filled with billions of tonnes of water, which could cause massive economic losses to China, a study has done by an international group. . Scientists have said.
By the end of the century, the surface area of some lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau could increase by more than 50 percent, with the water volume of lakes in the plateau projected to increase by more than 600 billion tons. The study was published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience.
If these predictions are correct, the researchers said it could have a massive economic impact on China, worth billions of dollars, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Monday, citing the study's findings.
"Our results show that by 2100, even under a low emissions scenario, the surface area of endorheic lakes on the Tibetan Plateau will increase by 50 percent (about 20,000 square km or 7,722 square miles) and water levels will rise by about 50 percent.10 meters (32 feet) relative to 2020,” the study said.
Endorheic lakes, also called closed lakes, have no outlet for water to drain.
Scientists from China, Wales, Saudi Arabia, the United States and France said this would correspond to a four-fold increase in water storage compared to that experienced in the region over the past 50 years.
The study said that if steps were not taken to mitigate this, "more than 1,000 km of roads, about 500 settlements and about 10,000 sq km of ecological components such as grasslands, wetlands and crop lands" would be submerged.
Observers say rising lakes and melting glaciers could also affect neighboring countries, including India as Tibet is the origin of several rivers, including the mighty Brahmaputra.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the "Water Tower of Asia", is the highest and largest plateau in the world and is home to more than 1,000 lakes with large reserves of water in both liquid and ice form.
"[It] is one of the regions most sensitive to climate change, serving as an early warning signal for the broader impacts of global warming," the researchers wrote.
China has invested billions of dollars in developing rail, road and air infrastructure in the remote region to strengthen its hold on the strategically important Himalayan region.
The study said that while large lakes in other parts of the world are seeing declines in water storage due to rising temperatures and human activity, lakes in the plateau are expanding due to warmer and wetter conditions in recent decades .
This has been mainly driven by increase in net rainfall.While melting glaciers also contribute to this phenomenon, researchers said the remaining glaciers have "limited storage."
Despite the greatest increase in water storage being projected in the northern parts of the plateau, roads in the northeast, where there is more human activity and infrastructure, will be most vulnerable to flooding.
Looking at the socio-economic landscape among researchers, the study estimated that submerged roads could cause direct economic losses of 20 billion yuan to 50 billion yuan (US$2.7 billion to US$6.9 billion) by the end of the century. Is.
“This is a serious threat that should be considered in future rail and road planning,” the study said.
By the end of the century, the surface area of some lakes in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau could increase by more than 50 percent, with the water volume of lakes in the plateau projected to increase by more than 600 billion tons. The study was published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience.
If these predictions are correct, the researchers said it could have a massive economic impact on China, worth billions of dollars, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Monday, citing the study's findings.
"Our results show that by 2100, even under a low emissions scenario, the surface area of endorheic lakes on the Tibetan Plateau will increase by 50 percent (about 20,000 square km or 7,722 square miles) and water levels will rise by about 50 percent.10 meters (32 feet) relative to 2020,” the study said.
Endorheic lakes, also called closed lakes, have no outlet for water to drain.
Scientists from China, Wales, Saudi Arabia, the United States and France said this would correspond to a four-fold increase in water storage compared to that experienced in the region over the past 50 years.
The study said that if steps were not taken to mitigate this, "more than 1,000 km of roads, about 500 settlements and about 10,000 sq km of ecological components such as grasslands, wetlands and crop lands" would be submerged.
Observers say rising lakes and melting glaciers could also affect neighboring countries, including India as Tibet is the origin of several rivers, including the mighty Brahmaputra.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as the "Water Tower of Asia", is the highest and largest plateau in the world and is home to more than 1,000 lakes with large reserves of water in both liquid and ice form.
"[It] is one of the regions most sensitive to climate change, serving as an early warning signal for the broader impacts of global warming," the researchers wrote.
China has invested billions of dollars in developing rail, road and air infrastructure in the remote region to strengthen its hold on the strategically important Himalayan region.
The study said that while large lakes in other parts of the world are seeing declines in water storage due to rising temperatures and human activity, lakes in the plateau are expanding due to warmer and wetter conditions in recent decades .
This has been mainly driven by increase in net rainfall.While melting glaciers also contribute to this phenomenon, researchers said the remaining glaciers have "limited storage."
Despite the greatest increase in water storage being projected in the northern parts of the plateau, roads in the northeast, where there is more human activity and infrastructure, will be most vulnerable to flooding.
Looking at the socio-economic landscape among researchers, the study estimated that submerged roads could cause direct economic losses of 20 billion yuan to 50 billion yuan (US$2.7 billion to US$6.9 billion) by the end of the century. Is.
“This is a serious threat that should be considered in future rail and road planning,” the study said.
