Comparison images showing the Tianshan Glacier No. 1, Xinjiang, China, in 2001, 2008 and 2018.
Tianshan Glacier No. 1 (also known as Urumqi No. 1) is the largest glacier that feeds into the Urumqi River in Xinjiang province. It’s located at the headwaters of the river, just 120 kilometers from Urumqi city, and was the site of China’s first glacier monitoring station, set up in 1959.
Tianshan Glacier No. 1 is shrinking at a rate of 10,600 m2 per year. Almost one fourth of its total area is already gone.