What? China is "covering" glaciers with "blankets"?

BEIJING, March 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on China's efforts on protecting glaciers:

In China, at several thousand meters above sea level, a group of people are endeavoring to "cover" glaciers with "blankets."

The story takes us back to August 2020, when a team of 20 were trudging across the glaciers, battling the fluffy snow, thin air, and the burdens of their backpacks weighing dozens of pounds, all of which made the journey even more grueling.

The team was formed by experts from the State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), who were heading to Dagu Glacier No.17 in southwest China's Sichuan province. The relatively flat terrain and the accessible entry made the glacier an ideal choice for conducting the "blanket" experiment. This experiment actually sought to cover the glaciers with special heat-insulating and reflective materials, so that the surface of the ice underneath can be kept at a lower temperature, further slowing the melting of glaciers which had been accelerated by global warming.

The topic has garnered more attention for the last 5 years, with experts conducting more research on it, and the material of the "blankets" being iterated. From geotextile to nanomaterial blankets, both have proven effective in alleviating the melting. Multiple research results show that the "blankets" can cut the glacier melting by 50% to 70% compared to the uncovered surface.

In fact, China has begun its glacier-related research since the 1950s. Besides the "blanket" experiment, relevant researchers have also tried many other experiments in Dagu Glacier and glaciers in the Tianshan Mountain range in recent years, including cloud seeding and snowmaking, in a bid to slow down the melting of glaciers. Moreover, glacier protection has also been incorporated into the green development philosophy and policies in China.

In 2023, a project named "Memory of Glaciers: Global Exploration Initiative" was launched at the China Pavilion of the COP28 climate change conference, with a more direct focus on the glacier-melting issue, and to raise public awareness on climate change.

For humanity, the impact of melting glaciers is closer than we think. They act like a leaking tap that continuously pours melted water into the oceans, causing sea levels to rise year by year, and posing a mounting threat to people, especially low-lying coastal communities. Melting glaciers can also be viewed as a ticking time bomb — as glaciers become increasingly unstable, chances of natural disasters like large-scale ice avalanches, floods, and droughts will also surge. In short, when you are protecting glaciers, you are protecting humanity.

The year 2025 has been declared the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, and March 21 marks the first "World Day for Glaciers." The melting of glaciers is irreversible but raising awareness around preservation, and taking practical solutions to slow down the process, are what we are capable of and should be doing. Every bit of effort along the journey is like a snowflake, and when millions of snowflakes fall onto the glaciers, they form a soft "blanket" that protects them.

"I hope that one day, people don't have to cover the glaciers, and they can be the way they are in nature's law," said Wang Feiteng, a glaciologist from Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, CAS, who is also the captain of the "blanket" team.

China Mosaic 
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

What? China is "covering" glaciers with "blankets"?
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2025-03/21/content_117779612.htm

SOURCE China.org.cn