Everest glaciers may melt by end of century, says study

New York Times : The majority of Mount Everest’s glaciers could disappear by the year 2100, according to a recent study . Joseph Shea of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal and colleagues used a computer model to predict how greenhouse gas emissions—and the concomitant rise in global temperatures—will affect glacial melt in the region. Based on temperature and precipitation data, field measurements, and 50 years’ worth of remote-sensing observations, the researchers predict that if emissions remain the same, 99% of Everest’s glaciers will disappear. Even a moderate reduction in emissions, however, could reduce that loss to just 70%. Changes in glacier volume could severely affect the availability of water in the area, including for agriculture and hydropower generation. Although the study’s authors urge caution in interpretation of their results, they stress that even for the most conservative climate change scenario, ice thickness and extent are expected to decrease significantly.