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Tibet Experiencing Abnormal Climate
The Tibet Autonomous Region of China is experiencing a continuous period of abnormal weather, and there is no evidence to suggest it was caused by local residents' activities, experts said.
According to the Tibet Regional Meteorological Bureau, the average air temperature in Tibet has unexpectedly risen two to four degrees centigrade since last October.
During the past four decades, the average air temperature in Tibet climbed about 1.5 degrees centigrade.
In the summers of 1998 and 1999, Tibet's air temperature unprecedentedly exceeded 30 degrees, hitting a record high.
"Instead of thick cotton-padded clothes, for the first time the Tibetans spent the Spring Festival in shirts," said Purpu Zhoima, a senior meteorological engineer.
The region's rainfall has also seen apparent changes. Owing to continuing higher temperatures, more time is needed for the heat to dissipate away, and therefore it now rains more often in the morning and afternoon, rather than at night.
The abnormal climate results from a variety of reasons. However, it is mainly attributable to the global greenhouse effect, experts noted.
With an underdeveloped industry, Tibet has taken strict measures to protect its environment, which is almost immaculate, said Purpu Zhoima.
"We've got no evidence showing the changes were caused by local people's activities," Zhoima added.
The deterioration of the ozone layer over the region has also contributed to these changes, experts said.
Research shows the ozone layer over Tibet has been seriously depleted, causing the air temperature to rise sharply.
The changes in climate have exerted both negative and positive effects on the region, according to experts.
Some places begin to suffer heavy floods and snowfalls while enjoying more trees and more oxygen. Last August, a rarely-seen flood took place in the Nyangqu River valley in Tibet.
The rise of the snow line, melting of glaciers and frequent mud avalanches reported in Tibet have also raised experts' concerns.
The Tibetan administrative organs have begun to take into account the climate changes when framing the local social and economic development program, sources said.
So far, how the abnormal climate in Tibet will influence the global climate is still unclear, experts said.
"As the highest and most complicated plateau in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has greatly influenced the global atmospheric general circulation and climate," said Zou Han, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The climate in Tibet has drawn wide attention from scientists worldwide, he added.
So far, the United States, Japan and some other foreign countries have set up monitoring stations in Tibet in order to get first-hand data on the weather.
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