Scientists of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered that the climatic environment in most of China's west is undergoing a series of changes. This includes continued rise of temperature and marked rise of rainfalls, river water, vegetation lake surface. The incidence of sandstorms has dropped.
The scientists of the institute of environment and engineering study of dry and frigid zones say that this indicates that it will enter into a period of plenty rainfalls by 2050.
However, they say that the drought in the area can not change dramatically in a short period. There should not be any blind optimism, they say.
They attribute the changes to the rise of water-laden air in the west thanks to the more replenishment of water-laden air from the sea and the wet parts of the continent, driven by dramatic global warming and the acceleration of the cycle of water.
Scientists warn that there is still need to economize the use of water resources in the efforts to develop the west.
(www.cenews.com.cn June 16, 2003)