10 January 2005Newkerala
Affected by global warming and rapid urbanisation, the frozen earth on the Qinghai Plateau has shown signs of thawing, scientists with the northwest China's Qinghai Province said today.Scientists with the Qinghai Climate Data Centre have analysed the data from the frozen area of the plateau in the past decades by using geological information system technology.They found that in the frozen region, the earth's temperature has been noticeably rising. Also, the duration of the year during which the ground is frozen is becoming increasingly shorter and the thickness of the frozen layer has decreased, Xinhua news agency reported.According to statistics, the layer of frozen earth is now 50 meters more shallow than it was decades ago, director of the centre, Qin Ningsheng said.Qin said that Xining, the capital city of the province, and Gangcha County, are the two places that have witnessed the worst thaw due to the "hot island" effect brought about by urbanisation, and the falling water level in uhe Qinghai Lake.Since the layer of frozen earth plays a great role in maintaining the ecology of the plateau, Qin urged the government to pay attention to the changes and take measures to protect the current ecological system. PTI
