A Chinese study released Tuesday says that sharp increases in temperature driven by global warming are melting China's Himalayan glaciers. [File photo]?

A Chinese study released Tuesday says that sharp increases in temperature driven by global warming are melting China's Himalayan glaciers, an impact that threatens habitats, tourism and economic development, AFP reported.

Of 111 weather stations scattered across southwestern China, 77 percent showed significant upticks in temperatures between 1961 and 2008.

At the 14 monitoring stations above 4,000 meters, the jump over this period was 1.73 degrees Celsius, roughly twice the average global increase over the last century. Many of the glaciers examined showed a drastic retreat as well as large loss of mass. The study also showed that glacial lakes had expanded in size.