Researchers monitor condition on Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, SW China

This aerial photo taken on June 16, 2023 shows researchers working on the Baishui River No. 1 Glacier on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station, set up by Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of Chinese Academy of Sciences, is located in Lijiang City in southwest China's Yunnan Province. Since 2006, researchers have regularly monitored the condition of the Baishui River No. 1 Glacier and its surrounding environment on the snow mountain.

According to Wang Shijin, a glaciologist and head of the station, part of the meltwater of the Yulong Snow Mountain flows to Lijiang ancient city, then flows into the Jinsha River from Heqing County in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. And the meltwater of Baishui River No. 1 Glacier merges into the Lanyue (Blue Moon) Valley in Lijiang, then flows into the Jinsha River near the Tiger Leaping Gorge, supplying water to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

This photo taken on June 19, 2023 shows a view of the Baishui River No. 1 Glacier on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Tian Weiwei)

This photo taken on June 16, 2023 shows the meltwater of Baishui River No. 1 Glacier on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Wang Shijin (1st L) leads his teammates to the Baishui River No. 1 Glacier on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

This aerial photo taken on June 16, 2023 shows a view of the Baishui River No. 1 Glacier on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Wang Shijin (C) measures the flow velocity of glacier meltwater with his teammates at an observation point along the Baishui River in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Wang Shijin (1st L) works with his teammates on the Baishui River No. 1 Glacier on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

Du Chunhong, a researcher with Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station, checks the equipment at a meteorological observation station on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Tian Weiwei)

Wang Dawei (C), a teacher from West Yunnan University of Applied Science, helps a student cross a crevasse on the Baishui River No. 1 Glacier on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Wang Shijin (1st L) checks the equipment with his teammates at a meteorological observation station on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

Du Chunhong, a researcher with Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station, takes a snow sample on the Baishui River No. 1 Glacier on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

This photo taken on June 19, 2023 shows a crevasse in the Baishui River No. 1 Glacier on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)