Villager Li Yuanqing, 62, who has witnessed the ice slowly receding, rests his hand on a rope as he pauses near the headwaters of the Glacier River and the end of the tongue of Glacier 1. Photo: CFP

The glaciers in Hailuogou valley, Sichuan Province are fast retreating due to the warming climate.

Hailuogou valley, on the east side of Mount Gongga, the tallest mountain in Sichuan, is home to more than 31 square kilometers of glaciers. Hailuogou's Glacier 1 stretches from 6,750 meters above sea level down to only 2,850 meters, making it the lowest glacier in Asia. This makes it all the more vulnerable to climate change.

Chinese plateau researchers discovered that Glacier 1 has been melting at a fast pace. Since the 1960s, researchers found the ice tongue has become nearly 3 kilometers shorter. Its melting has contributed to the Dadu River in Sichuan's Ganzi prefecture.

Today the glaciers are a popular tourist attraction thanks to their low altitude and accessibility. The scenic area of Hailuogou valley is home to a great variety of plant and animal life due to the large vertical distance it covers.

The glaciers are melting faster and faster, researchers say. Some predict the glaciers in this area will melt at a speed of 20 meters per year and become 1 meter thinner at the same time.

Global Times

The Large Ice Fall of Glacier 1 is seen at the base of Mount Gongga. Photo: CFP

The Glacier River flowing from Glacier 1 in Hailuogou, is a tributary of the Dadu River. Photo: CFP

 

A glacier researcher walks on the ice tongue. Photo: CFP

Li Yuanqing sits near the headwaters of the Glacier River and the end of the tongue of Glacier 1. Photo: CFP