A vehicle transfers people after a massive flash flood in Nuwakot, Nepal, on Aug. 27, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's meteorological authorities have been providing Nepal with weather monitoring, forecasting, early warning and impact services since a severe mudslide struck the Gyirong-Rasuwa border crossing between China and Nepal, an official said on Wednesday.

Wang Yawei, a spokesperson for the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), said at a press conference that the administration held video weather consultations with Nepal's meteorological department immediately after the disaster, and has actively provided meteorological support for Nepal's rescue and relief operations.

The CMA has been providing Nepal with a range of meteorological products through MAZU, China's homegrown AI-powered meteorological early warning system, Wang noted.

The administration urgently developed a cloud-based version of MAZU customized for Nepal, which integrates multi-source data from China's Fengyun meteorological satellites and ground-based observation networks, and is equipped with a series of AI-powered forecasting models. The customized version was delivered to Nepal for trial use immediately after completion.

The meteorological authorities will go all out to ensure comprehensive meteorological services and strengthen international cooperation with Nepal to provide support for Nepal's emergency response and disaster management, Wang noted.

The CMA will also organize experts to strengthen scientific research on climate change and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, enhance meteorological monitoring, and conduct in-depth studies on changes in the cryosphere including frozen soil, snow cover and glaciers in the context of global warming, he added.

Against the backdrop of global warming, mountain glaciers worldwide are experiencing accelerated melting. On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where warming and humidification are taking place, China's glaciers as a whole are also in a state of accelerated retreat, Gao Rong, deputy director of the National Climate Center, told the media conference.

According to China's glacier inventory, the total glacier area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has shrunk by about 24 percent over the past 60 years, with approximately 7,000 small glaciers disappearing completely.

Rapid warming on the plateau is driving accelerated cryosphere melting, leading to an increase in the number of glacial lakes and a rapid expansion of their surface areas, Gao noted.

"The internal structural stability of glaciers on the plateau is expected to decline further, making glacier-related disasters potentially more frequent. Such events could also expand the scale of destruction and the scope of impact through disaster chain amplification effects," Gao warned.