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Joseph Shea, hydrologist at the National Center for Mountain Development in Nepal, warns that Everest’s Glaciers might vanish by the end of the Century. This is the conclusion of a new report, lead by Joseph Shea.
Due to global warming and extreme climate change resulted from it, scientists did expect a drop in the world’s sweet water supplies in the form of glaciers. However the process seems to move at an accelerated speed.
The study finds, that at this rate of planetary increase in temperature, global warming could lead to between 70 and 90 percent of the total size of glaciers in Nepal to disappear.
The research analyzed more than 50 years of data concerning climate change then used mathematical algorithms and climate patterns – like patterns of snow pack or seasonal melt. They compiled everything and used a computer to estimate possible climate behavior in the future.
They found that Nepal’s glaciers have lost about 20 percent of their mass or surface since the year 1961.
Considering that climate change in the 1960’s was influenced by pollution produced in the 40’s and 50’s when, the industrial development was much lower, an acceleration of the glacier melting causes is naturally assumed.
Add the fact that some of the most heavily industrialized countries on the planet like China and India were just emerging as producers in the 1960’s, and you have a grim expectation for the future of glacier melt patterns all of the world.
Dr. Shea, explains that according to the data collected and the computer predictions, even if humanity somehow manages to lower current pollution levels or reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, 70 percent of glaciers in Nepal will still disappear.
This is because climate change has an avalanche effect. Once set in motion, it can be almost impossible to stop. Reducing greenhouse gases could be an option.
Trees are an excellent weapon against many of the gases that cause global warming, since they absorb some of them, but current patterns of deforestation are actually adding to the increase of pollution levels while the glaciers slowly run out of time.
The melting of sweet water reserves in the form of ice is a planetary concern. Nepal is not the only country that risks having catastrophic amounts of glacier ice melt in the coming years.
Image Source: inhabitat.com
