Meltwater flows over the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 27, 2020. Glaciers in China's bleak, rugged Qilian mountains are disappearing at a shocking rate as global warming brings unpredictable change and raises the prospect of crippling, long-term water shortages, scientists say. The largest glacier in the 800-km (500-mile) mountain chain on the arid northeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau has retreated about 450 metres since the 1950s, when researchers set up China's first monitoring station to study it. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.