07. Dec 2009
Nearly half of Qinghai Lake's source-rivers dry up
(Xinhua) Nearly half the number of rivers emptying into Qinghai Lake (Mong: Koko Nor; Tib: Tso Ngonpo ) have dried up, Xinhua reports, citing a recent survey. Chinese researchers say that of the 127 rivers that flow into the lake, 57 have dried up. The survey was conducted in 2008 by the Administration of Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve and the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to determine the depth and quality of Qinghai Lake's water. According to the report, despite the drying rivers, the lake's water level has been rising for five-straight years, by 54 cm from 2005 to 2008. Experts were reported to believe this to be largely due to the increasing precipitation in the lake area in recent years.