--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies
Info
FedEx
China Post
China Air Express
Hospitals in China
Chinese Embassies
Foreign Embassies
Golfing China
China
Construction Bank
People's
Bank of China
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
Travel Agencies
China Travel Service
China International Travel Service
Beijing Youth Travel Service
Links
China Tours
China National Tourism Administration

Northwest China to Get More Rainfall
Chinese scientists say the conditions in the country's northwestern region are gradually shifting from a warm and dry climate to a warm and wet one, and the region is expected to see more rain by 2050.

The findings stem from a research programme on the changing of the ecological environment and the sustainable use of water and land resources in western China, which was conducted by a group of scientists from the Environmental Research Institute and the Project on the Cold and Dry Region.

It was carried out under the supervision of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Scientists have found that temperatures in the western region have climbed significantly over the past four decades.

Comparing the 1987-2000 period with the 1961-86 period, the average temperature in the western region rose by 0.7 C.

In the 1990s, the average annual temperature in the western region was 6.8 C, or 0.8 C, 0.7 C and 0.6 C higher than that of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, respectively, according to scientists.

The current temperatures in the region are the warmest for the past 1,000 years.

During the 1980s and 1990s, annual rainfall increased markedly in the central and western parts of China.

The Qilian Mountain Range area, the Gansu Corridor and Qinghai Province recorded 10 to 20 per cent increases in rainfall from 1987 to 2000, as compared with the 1961-86 period.

Scientists have also found that the water volume of rivers has risen due to increased rainfall and melted glaciers.

The pace of desertification has declined, the water level of lakes has risen and the number of sandstorms has been significantly reduced in the western region.

Moreover, scientists say global warming, which accelerates the circulation of water, is one of the main reasons that western China is expected to experience increased rainfall by the middle of the 21st century.

(China Daily May 7, 2003)

Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688