Global warming has made moisture a rare commodity in Tibet, causing many of its residents to suffer from nosebleeds, the local meteorological bureau said Thursday.
The humidity in Tibet's capital city, Lhasa, which sits 3,700 metres (12,210 feet) above sea level, has been low this autumn while the temperature continued to climb, an official at the Tibet Meteorological Bureau said.
"Due to global warming, the average temperature rise has been higher than the national average," the official, surnamed Du, told AFP.
"Nosebleeds are common for travellers and also for local people, because the climate is just too dry," he said. "People daren't rub their noses. If they do, they bleed."
The bureau said earlier this year the Tibetan plateau is heating up by 0.3 degrees Celsius each decade, more than twice the worldwide average.
Tibet, with its high altitude and glaciers, is also more sensitive to the effects of global warming, he said.
vy/ph/skj
Health-China-Tibet-climate
AFP 081114 GMT 11 07
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