China's largest salt lake, Qinghai Lake, has expanded by 49.84 square km compared with the last year, approaching its record size in history, according to the latest survey.

Satellite image showed the area of the lake has reached 4,432.32 square km, said Liu Baokang, a senior engineer at the Qinghai Meteorological Bureau.

The record size of the lake, situated in northwest China's Qinghai Province, was 4,477.53 square km, recorded in 1974.

The lake has been expanding since 2011, due to abundant precipitation in surrounding area and more snow melting amid warm weather, he said.

Grassland restoration and reforestation projects in the last decade helped prevent the desert area around the lake from expanding, he said.

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