The "roof of the world" has become warmer and wetter, according to a report jointly released Friday by the climate center of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region and the regional remote sensing applications research center.
The report showed that the average temperature in Tibet during the flood season (from May to September) has seen a significant increase from 1981 to 2016, up 0.3 degrees Celsius every decade on average, while precipitation in the region during the same period has grown 10.1 mm every decade on average.
The report also revealed that the average temperature in Tibet during the flood season in 2016 was 11.9 degrees Celsius, 0.44 degrees higher than that in normal years.
The average precipitation of Tibet in 2016 was 445.1 mm, 62.4 mm more than that in normal years, according to the report.
Sources with the climate center said Tibet was becoming warmer and wetter due to global warming.
Experts believe climate change is a double-edged sword for the region.With a warmer and wetter climate, the region will be covered with more vegetation and have a more favorable temperature for agriculture, animal husbandry and tourism in the short term. However, the changing climate will result in receding glaciers and melting permafrost in the long run.
