The Tanggula Mountains in a picture taken on July 15, 2009. [File Photo: IC/Duan Changzheng]

The latest research on glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau shows the thickness of the ice has reduced by 8 meters, according to China Central Television.

Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out the 4-month research on two glaciers at the western and middle reaches of the Tanggula Mountains.

Figures suggest the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is warming at twice the speed of the world's average.

Scientists anticipate it will change the environment surrounding the plateau's cryosphere and ultimately have an impact on water circulation and on the eco system.

The glacier has also receded at a faster speed, by more than 200 meters during the 13 years that monitoring has taken place.

He Xiaobo, chief of the cryosphere research center at the Tanggula Mountains, blames global warming and surface contamination for the melting ice.

Scientists are using the 3D laser scanning technology to map the glaciers for the first time with the help of drones. It is expected to provide theoretical and data support for ice core retrieval from 170 meters beneath the ice surface next year.

The Tanggula Mountains are located near the boarders of Qinghai province and the Tibet Autonomous Region. The mountains are also where the Yangtze River originates.