The frozen earth on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has thickened by more than 20 centimeters in the past several decades, according to the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS).

Research from the Cold & Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute of CAS shows the frozen earth on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau keeps thickening, leading the thaw of ice near by.

Zhao Lin, researcher of the institute said the area of frozen earth on the plateau was 1.3 million square meters.

In the process of being formed, frozen earth absorbs much moisture content and stores them as solid. Because of the global warming, part of frozen earth begins melting and then soaks into the ground.