<progressive-image class="size-full wp-image-5343" src="https://blogs-images.forbes.com/davidbressan/files/2019/06/NRO_USGS_Himalaya_Glaciers.jpg" alt="Image of the Himalaya taken almost 40 years ago by Big Bird spy satellites and declassified in 2011." data-height="393" data-width="700"></progressive-image>"
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<p class="wp-caption-text">Image of the Himalaya taken almost 40 years ago by Big Bird spy satellites and declassified in 2011.</p>"
<small class="article-photo-credit">NRO/USGS</small>"
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<p>Unlike other mountain ranges, like the Alps where glacier loss is well documented for the last 150 years, there is only scarce documentation for the Himalaya, despite hosting the largest ice mass outside the polar regions.</p>
<p>New <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/6/eaav7266" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/6/eaav7266">research published in the journal <em data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/6/eaav7266">Science Advances</em></a> used declassified top-secret material to map and estimate ice loss in the rugged terrain. At the height of the Cold War, U.S. spy satellites photographed the border regions of India, China, Nepal and Bhutan. Comparing the almost 40 years old photos with recent satellite images of the same areas it is possible to map the change of 650 selected Himalayan glaciers in unprecedented detail.</p>"
<p>According to the published results, almost one-quarter of the total ice mass in the Himalayas is already lost and melting continues at an accelerating rate. Since the year 2000 Himalayan glaciers have lost around 8 billion tons of water a year, coinciding with an average 1° temperature rise in the region.</p>
<p>Himalayan glaciers play an important role as a source of water for almost 800 million people. The glaciers act like a bank account. They collect and store precipitation during winter, releasing the water during spring and summer. The climate of Central Asia is characterized by hot, dry summers. Without the glacial meltwater, severe droughts could become more frequent and severe in the future.</p>
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<progressive-image class="size-full wp-image-5344" src="https://blogs-images.forbes.com/davidbressan/files/2019/06/KASERetal_2010_GlacierWaterBalance.jpg" alt="Map showing Population Impact Factor of glaciers worldwide (grey bars) after KASER et al. 2010. Low values of the factor show that the discharge happens during wet periods when their contribution is less significant. Glaciers play a minor role as source of water in the Americas and Europe, however, are crucial in the desertic areas of Central Asia." data-height="400" data-width="700"></progressive-image>"
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<p class="wp-caption-text">Map showing <em>Population Impact Factor</em> of glaciers worldwide (grey bars) after <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/11/01/1008162107" target="_blank" style=" display:inline;" rel="nofollow noopener" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/11/01/1008162107">KASER et al. 2010</a>. Low values of the factor show that the discharge happens during wet periods when their contribution is less significant. Glaciers play a minor role as source of water in the Americas and Europe, however, are crucial in the desertic areas of Central Asia.</p>"
<small class="article-photo-credit">Kaser et al. 2010</small>"
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Image of the Himalaya taken almost 40 years ago by Big Bird spy satellites and declassified in 2011.
NRO/USGS
Unlike other mountain ranges, like the Alps where glacier loss is well documented for the last 150 years, there is only scarce documentation for the Himalaya, despite hosting the largest ice mass outside the polar regions.
New research published in the journal Science Advances used declassified top-secret material to map and estimate ice loss in the rugged terrain. At the height of the Cold War, U.S. spy satellites photographed the border regions of India, China, Nepal and Bhutan. Comparing the almost 40 years old photos with recent satellite images of the same areas it is possible to map the change of 650 selected Himalayan glaciers in unprecedented detail.
According to the published results, almost one-quarter of the total ice mass in the Himalayas is already lost and melting continues at an accelerating rate. Since the year 2000 Himalayan glaciers have lost around 8 billion tons of water a year, coinciding with an average 1° temperature rise in the region.
Himalayan glaciers play an important role as a source of water for almost 800 million people. The glaciers act like a bank account. They collect and store precipitation during winter, releasing the water during spring and summer. The climate of Central Asia is characterized by hot, dry summers. Without the glacial meltwater, severe droughts could become more frequent and severe in the future.
Map showing Population Impact Factor of glaciers worldwide (grey bars) after KASER et al. 2010. Low values of the factor show that the discharge happens during wet periods when their contribution is less significant. Glaciers play a minor role as source of water in the Americas and Europe, however, are crucial in the desertic areas of Central Asia.
Kaser et al. 2010
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