Namtso no longer Tibet’s largest lake

The Buddhist holy lake Namtso has lost its spot as Tibet’s largest lake to Serling Tso, which remarkably expanded in the past decade due to melting of glaciers and increased rain, according to new research. Serling Tso was measured at 2,391 square kilometers in June, 369 square km larger than the Namtso, which also makes it the second biggest salt lake in China, Zhang Guoqing, assistant researcher with the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Research with the Chinese Academy of Sciences said. Lake areas in Tibet were increasing in recent years, but the expansion of the Serling Tso has been remarkable, with its area growing by 535 square km, one-third of its original size, in the past decade, Zhang was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency on Monday.