Across China: Climate change in China's arid northwest draws academic, public attention

LANZHOU -- Social media is buzzing with posts from Northwest China as people marvel at mushrooms appearing in unexpected places and once-barren mountains turning lush, sparking conversations that stretch beyond meteorology.

These observations, rooted in real-life experiences, are supported by a recently unveiled study titled "New characteristics of the trend of warming and humidification in northwest China and its impacts and countermeasures," which highlights an accelerating warming and wetting trend and an expanding area affected by these changes.

The study, unveiled in Lanzhou, capital city of Gansu province in Northwest China, was jointly conducted by the Lanzhou Institute of Arid Meteorology of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), the National Climate Center and the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, among other research institutes.

The findings indicated that the rate of increase in precipitation in northwest China since 2000 is eight times greater than that during the period from 1961 to 2000, said Zhang Qiang, director of the laboratory on arid climate change and disaster reduction of the CMA, in an interview with Xinhua.

According to him, the findings also indicate that the affected areas have expanded eastward, now encompassing all of Northwest China. Additionally, the region is experiencing warming at a rate faster than the national average.

Northwest China, which includes part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the expansive Gobi Desert and grassland, lies primarily to the west of China's 400 mm annual precipitation line. This important geographical boundary separates the semi-humid regions to the southeast from the semi-arid areas to the northwest.

The wetting and greening of the vast arid region provoked an upbeat sentiment on social media. On the Chinese lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu, numerous posts titled "The Helan Mountains turn green" can be found, with many locals commenting that the lush scenery is beyond recognition compared to the desolate, barren landscape they remember from their youth.

Some are even enthusiastic about the dawning of a new age of prosperity resulting from the desert-to-oasis transformations.

However, the study acted as a reality check, warning about the potential downsides of warming. Glacier resources in the Qilian Mountains have become less stable, it said. Straddling Gansu and Qinghai provinces, both in Northwest China, the Qilian Mountains are a vital ecological barrier and a biodiversity hotspot.

"Due to climate warming, the melting of snow and ice in the Qilian Mountains is accelerating, and the winter is becoming shorter. Additionally, the transport of moisture in the atmosphere during winter and spring is weakening, leading to decreasing snowfall that could have replenished the glaciers," said Zhang.

Zhang also noted that snow accumulation in the Qilian Mountains is a vital water resource for the Hexi Corridor, a key artery of the ancient Silk Road. The accelerated melting of glacial snow worsens water shortages in the Hexi Corridor, which would ultimately impact agriculture, ecological conservation, and efforts to combat desertification.

For the future, while the warming and wetting trend in the northwest is forecast to continue well into mid-century, it will not fundamentally change the region's arid climate patterns. The rise in temperatures will lead to increased evaporation, which will counteract the effects of humidification, according to Zhang.