# Melting plateau: How difficult is it to predict glacial disasters?

https://mins.news/en/item/42992

- CGTN, 2026-09-02 04:16 UTC
- Science
- Original: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-09-02/How-difficult-is-it-to-predict-glacial-disasters--1Q6ulPfweB2/p.html?UTM_Source=cgtn&UTM_Medium=rss&UTM_Campaign=China

> A recent geological disaster along the China-Nepal border has renewed attention on glaciers as potential hazards, not only victims of global warming. Experts say warming has driven glacier retreat, permafrost degradation and expanding glacial lakes, increasing risks from ice-rock avalanches, lake outbursts, landslides and debris flows. On the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, glacier area fell from 51,000 to 39,000 square kilometers over six decades, while glacial lakes grew by more than 20% from 1990 to 2020.

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