Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Mount Everest losing its cloak of ice and snow

Mount Everest losing its cloak of ice and snow
 Mount Everest is shedding its
frozen cloak as its glaciers have shrunk at an alarming rate
of 13 per cent over the last 50 years due to global warming, a
new study has warned.
    Glaciers smaller than one square kilometre are
disappearing the fastest and have experienced a 43 per cent
decrease in surface area since the 1960s, researchers said.
    The snow-line also has shifted upward by 180 meters,
according to lead researcher Sudeep Thakuri, from the
University of Milan in Italy.
    Because the glaciers are melting faster than they are
replenished by ice and snow, they are revealing rocks and
debris that were previously hidden deep under the ice.
    These debris-covered sections of the glaciers have
increased by about 17 per cent since the 1960s, according to
Thakuri. The ends of the glaciers have also retreated by an
average of 400 meters since 1962, the team found.
    Researchers taking a new look at the snow and ice covering
of Mount Everest and the national park have also been studying
temperature and precipitation trends in the area.
    They found that the Everest region has been warming while
snowfall has been declining since the early 1990s.
    Researchers suspect that the decline of snow and ice in
the Everest region is from human-generated greenhouse gases
altering global climate.
    However, they have not yet established a firm connection
between the mountains' changes and climate change, Thakuri
said.
    Thakuri and his team determined the extent of glacial
change on Everest and the surrounding 1,148 square kilometre
Sagarmatha National Park by compiling satellite imagery and
topographic maps and reconstructing the glacial history.
    Their statistical analysis shows that the majority of the
glaciers in the national park are retreating at an increasing
rate, Thakuri said.
    The researchers found that the Everest region has
undergone a 0.6 degree Celsius increase in temperature and 100
millimetre decrease in precipitation during the pre-monsoon
and winter months since 1992.
    "The Himalayan glaciers and ice caps are considered a
water tower for Asia since they store and supply water
downstream during the dry season," said Thakuri.
    "Downstream populations are dependent on the melt water
for agriculture, drinking, and power production," he said.
    The findings were presented at the Meeting of the Americas
in Cancun, Mexico - a scientific conference organised by the
American Geophysical Union. PTI SAR AKJ
SAR
05141607


    Washington, May 14 (PTI) Mount Everest is shedding its
frozen cloak as its glaciers have shrunk at an alarming rate
of 13 per cent over the last 50 years due to global warming, a
new study has warned.
    Glaciers smaller than one square kilometre are
disappearing the fastest and have experienced a 43 per cent
decrease in surface area since the 1960s, researchers said.
    The snow-line also has shifted upward by 180 meters,
according to lead researcher Sudeep Thakuri, from the
University of Milan in Italy.
    Because the glaciers are melting faster than they are
replenished by ice and snow, they are revealing rocks and
debris that were previously hidden deep under the ice.
    These debris-covered sections of the glaciers have
increased by about 17 per cent since the 1960s, according to
Thakuri. The ends of the glaciers have also retreated by an
average of 400 meters since 1962, the team found.
    Researchers taking a new look at the snow and ice covering
of Mount Everest and the national park have also been studying
temperature and precipitation trends in the area.
    They found that the Everest region has been warming while
snowfall has been declining since the early 1990s.
    Researchers suspect that the decline of snow and ice in
the Everest region is from human-generated greenhouse gases
altering global climate.
    However, they have not yet established a firm connection
between the mountains' changes and climate change, Thakuri
said.
    Thakuri and his team determined the extent of glacial
change on Everest and the surrounding 1,148 square kilometre
Sagarmatha National Park by compiling satellite imagery and
topographic maps and reconstructing the glacial history.
    Their statistical analysis shows that the majority of the
glaciers in the national park are retreating at an increasing
rate, Thakuri said.
    The researchers found that the Everest region has
undergone a 0.6 degree Celsius increase in temperature and 100
millimetre decrease in precipitation during the pre-monsoon
and winter months since 1992.
    "The Himalayan glaciers and ice caps are considered a
water tower for Asia since they store and supply water
downstream during the dry season," said Thakuri.
    "Downstream populations are dependent on the melt water
for agriculture, drinking, and power production," he said.
    The findings were presented at the Meeting of the Americas
in Cancun, Mexico - a scientific conference organised by the
American Geophysical Union.

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