This Xinhua story gives a sense of just how fast some of the glaciers are receding.
It says that along the east side of the Tanggula Mountain Pass, glaciers are pulling back at a rate of a quarter kilometer a year (265 meters, to be precise).
Tanggula Pass, by the way, is the high point on the new $4 billion train route that connects Beijing with Lhasa. It is at about 16,640 feet, or 5,072 meters, in altitude, making it the highest railway in the world.
To read more about glaciers melting in the Himalayas, considered the world’s third ice cap after the two poles because of the amount of water locked in their in reserve, read my story from June 2007 here.
Hi Tim,
I found this article quite informative. I reposted it to the travel forum of ChinaTravel.net with a link back.
http://www.chinatravel.net/forum/The-Tibetan-Plateau-s-melting-glaciers/1801.html
Regards,
Rebekah
Posted by: Rebekah | February 12, 2009 at 10:34 PM