As the frozen period is over, the lake surface's ice begins to thin, break and melt, and the lake typically turns itself from an icy land into vast green water. As temperatures rise, some icy layers are broken by ferocious winds and pushed to the shore. The view often attracts many visitors.

Dubbed as the "most beautiful lake in China," Qinghai Lake plays an important role in the ecological security of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The lake had been shrinking since the 1950s, but combined effects of conservation and changes to the regional climate turned things around in 2005.