China News Service, Xining, January 5 (Sun Rui, Sun Shujiao, Zhao Haimei) Affected by the cold wave, Qinghai Lake, the largest saltwater lake in China's inland, has an icy area of ​​3,577.94 square kilometers, and the icy area has increased by 64.4% within 10 days.

　　On the 5th, according to EOS/MODIS satellite data monitoring by Qinghai Meteorological Research Institute, Qinghai Lake’s icy area reached 3,577.94 square kilometers, which exceeded the lake area by 78.4%. There were only small uniced areas in the northwest and southwest.

Compared with the time when Qinghai Lake began to freeze on December 25, 2020, the percentage of the frozen area of ​​the lake has increased by 64.4% within 10 days.

　　"Affected by the cold wave weather, the rapid decline in temperature is the main reason for the further expansion of the frozen area of ​​the lake." The staff of the Qinghai Meteorological Research Institute said.

　　According to the staff of the Qinghai Provincial Meteorological Research Institute, according to meteorological data, from December 28, 2020, a cold wave weather process has occurred in most parts of China, and the Qinghai Lake area in northern Qinghai Province will be affected.

　　According to the analysis of observation data from four meteorological stations around Qinghai Lake, Tianjun, Gangcha, Haiyan, and Gonghe, during the cold wave, the highest temperature around Qinghai Lake was below 0 degrees Celsius, and the daily average temperature dropped by 1 to 4 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature in the county on December 29, 2020 was minus 9.9 degrees Celsius, which was 9.8 degrees Celsius lower than when Qinghai Lake began to freeze on December 25, 2020; the daily minimum temperatures were all below minus 12 degrees Celsius, Haiyan County on January 1, 2021 The lowest temperature was minus 24.2 degrees Celsius, which was 2.7 degrees Celsius lower than when Qinghai Lake began to freeze on December 25, 2020. The temperature at various weather stations around Qinghai Lake has dropped significantly, speeding up the freezing of the lake.

　　Brother Zhu Cun said that it is expected that in early January, the temperature in the area around Qinghai Lake will continue to drop, accompanied by 6 to 7 northwest winds and snow, which will further accelerate the ice formation on the lake.

　　Qinghai Lake is China's largest inland plateau saltwater lake. It is an important water body that maintains ecological security in the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and a natural barrier to control the eastward spread of desertification in the west.

The characteristics and evolution of the ecological environment of Qinghai Lake reflect to a large extent the change trend of the overall ecological environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which has a greater impact on the Qaidam Basin, Sanjiangyuan, Qilian Mountains and other areas.

Qinghai Lake usually enters the freezing period in mid-December every year, and it is completely thawed in mid-April of the following year. The freezing period lasts about 5 months.

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