WUHAN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Global warming is slowing down the growing speed of fish at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, according to a study released by Chinese researchers.

The growing season of juvenile naked carp, a species endemic to the plateau, increased by about 17 days, from the 1970s to the year 2000, as a result of global warming, according to the study released by the Institute of Hydrobiology of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A research team with the institute selected carp in Siling Lake, the largest plateau lake in Tibet. Tibet is on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is one of the most sensitive regions to climate change.

The plateau has grown wetter and warmer over the past 40 years. The warming has resulted in fast melting of glaciers and expansion of lake areas.

The research lasted around 20 years, and its findings were published in the journal Global Change Biology.