Climate change affecting lake on Roof of the World

Qinghai Lake - China's largest inland saltwater lake - completely froze over in late January, two weeks later than normal. Experts said the delay signals the growing effect of global warming on the fragile ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Apart from being a popular tourist spot, Qinghai Lake is also crucial for maintaining the ecological stability in the region, blocking the spread of deserts to eastern China, and serving as a key research spot for climate change, according to the Qinghai Institute of Meteorological Science.

The lake typically enters a five-month freezing period starting in mid-December, and is completely frozen by mid-January. However, since 2004, the lake is gradually taking longer to freeze over due to an overall rise in temperature around the region, according to institute data.