Photo shows a distant view of the Yulong Snow Mountain at the edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, photo from china.com.

The Yulong Snow Mountain at the edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau sees a rapid glacier melting resulting from global warming, according to the Los Angeles Times Tuesday.

He Yuanqing, a leading glacier expert in China, found that the mountain's largest glacier of Baishui No. 1 has shrunk about 275 yards (about 247 m) since 1982.

He noted that at this rate, the glaciers will possibly disappear completely over the next few decades.

In studying climate changes, glaciers are likened to canaries in a coal mine because they can issue early warnings to miners.

To many observers, the situation of the Yulong Mountain has been worrisome.

The snow layer has become so unsteady that avalanches occurs from time to time. In 2004 and the summer of 2009, the mountain encountered such natural disasters, respectively.

Boasting the southernmost glaciers on the Eurasia Continent, the mountain is considered an ideal object for those studying the influence of the climatic change on glaciers.

With the second largest glaciers next only to those in the South and North poles, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is known as "the third pole of the world." It is also the headwater of Asian's major rivers, such as the Yangtze, Mekong and Ganges rivers, supplying water to one billion people.

Visitors enjoy sightseeing at the foot of the Mingyong Glacier on the Kawadgarbo Peak of Meili Mountain in Shangri-la County, Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, photo from Xinhua.

Plateaus are the most sensitive areas to the climate change. The tongue of the Mingyong Glacier on the Kawadgarbo Peak of Meili Snow Mountain in Shangri-la Tibetan County has retreated 1.5 miles, according to the photos taken by scientists recently.

Statistics from the Chinese Meteorological Bureau show that the temperature on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has risen by an average of 0.58°C every decade, four times higher than the national average.

The Yulong Mountain National Park greets over one million tourists every year. There, posters are put up in every corner to raise the public's awareness of the global warming.

A Chinese glacier scientific research team plans to set up a research center and hold an exhibition, in a move to bring the visitors to realize the significance of the glacier melting.

Ye Xiaochen, a visitor from Sichuan Province, indicated that China has paid equal attention to its economic growth and environment protection.