Scientists Find Impacts of Climate Change on the Snow-ice Disasters
Jun 09, 2014 Email"> PrintText Size
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which has the most abundant glacier resources, has an important position in the field of water resources research. However, with the aggravation of global warming and climate change, the frequency and strength of snow-ice disasters increased in the last dozen years.
After years of research, SHEN Yongping and his team, scientists at the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), came to the conclusion that people should pay more attention to snow-ice disasters and strengthen research on disaster prevention and reduction.
"The change of glaciers and snows affects the extent and range of snow-ice disasters directly, and snow-ice floods mainly happened in the Karakoram Mountain, the Kunlun Mountain and west part of the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountain." Prof. SHEN said.
The research found the climate of Xinjiang has changed from warm and dry type to warm and wet since 1987 in the context of global warming. With the augment of the runoff from snow-ice melt water, the glacier recession aggravated snow-ice floods and glacier mud-rock flow disasters. On the other hand, snow slide and snowdrift could be caused by snow-ice melt water, the augment of snow cover in winter and the climate warming.
"Ice-snow disasters will increase in the future,” Prof. SHEN predicted, “it will form some new disaster sites, so we should strengthen the hydrology monitor warning system on snow-ice floods.” Prof. SHEN called on more attention to ice-snow disasters in the context of global climate change, strengthen research and evaluation on ice-snow disasters, and take advantage of science and technology to prevent future disasters.
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which has the most abundant glacier resources, has an important position in the field of water resources research. However, with the aggravation of global warming and climate change, the frequency and strength of snow-ice disasters increased in the last dozen years.
After years of research, SHEN Yongping and his team, scientists at the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI), came to the conclusion that people should pay more attention to snow-ice disasters and strengthen research on disaster prevention and reduction.
"The change of glaciers and snows affects the extent and range of snow-ice disasters directly, and snow-ice floods mainly happened in the Karakoram Mountain, the Kunlun Mountain and west part of the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountain." Prof. SHEN said.
The research found the climate of Xinjiang has changed from warm and dry type to warm and wet since 1987 in the context of global warming. With the augment of the runoff from snow-ice melt water, the glacier recession aggravated snow-ice floods and glacier mud-rock flow disasters. On the other hand, snow slide and snowdrift could be caused by snow-ice melt water, the augment of snow cover in winter and the climate warming.
"Ice-snow disasters will increase in the future,” Prof. SHEN predicted, “it will form some new disaster sites, so we should strengthen the hydrology monitor warning system on snow-ice floods.” Prof. SHEN called on more attention to ice-snow disasters in the context of global climate change, strengthen research and evaluation on ice-snow disasters, and take advantage of science and technology to prevent future disasters.
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