The results of a collaborative research programme between Chinese and US scientists (Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Cryosphere Sciences, China and the Byrd Polar Research Center and School of Earth Sciences, Columbus, Ohio, USA) on the status of glaciers in Tibetan Plateau and adjoining areas has come out with some interesting and also disturbing results on the shrinkage of glaciers in the region. The glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau (largest in number outside the Polar regions) are absolutely crucial to many important Asian rivers like the Indus and the Brahmaputra supporting a large segment of humanity. “Most intensive shrinkage” is recorded from the Himalayas (excluding Karakoram), which is of direct interest and concern to us.
Readers are referred to the online publication in Nature Climate Change (letters) of 15 July 2012 for complete details.
MSR/23 July 2012
Source: “Different glacier status with atmospheric circulations in Tibetan Plateau and surroundings” by Tandong Yao 1,2* , Lonnie Thompson 1,3 , Wei Yang 1 , Wusheng Yu 1 , Yang Gao 1 , Xuejun Guo 1 , Xiaoxin Yang 1 , Keqin Duan 1,2 , Huabiao Zhao 1 , Baiqing Xu 1 , Jiancheng Pu 2 , Anxin Lu 1,2 , Yang Xiang 1 , Dambaru B. Kattel 1 and Daniel Joswiak 1 ;
Nature Climate Change | Advance Online Publication | www.nature.com/natureclimatechange