LHASA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has seen warmer autumns since 1981, the latest statistics from the regional climate center showed.
The average temperature of Tibet between September and November has climbed 0.38 degrees Celsius per decade between 1981 and 2018, according to a Climate Communique released by the center.
"Against the backdrop of global warming, the temperatures of Tibet have been rising significantly," said Du Jun, director of the center. "The higher temperatures have led to shrinking glaciers, swelling lakes, and thawing of frozen earth."
Du said there is a higher risk of extreme weather events, impacting the plateau's fragile ecosystem.
The statistics also revealed that the area has become drier in autumns over the past 38 years, with the average annual precipitation decreasing 2.7 mm per decade.
Tibet is perched on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the source of a dozen major rivers of Asia. The plateau is also an important region to monitor climate changes using the weather and glaciers as indicators.
