Glacier Hub
Nikhil Agrawal
December 9, 2015
As per a Chinese research, Mount Everest is getting hotter with surrounding glaciers shrinking significantly. The latter has resulted in bigger glacial lakes as well as rivers downstream. The report was authored by Mount Qomolangma Snow Leopard Conservation Centre and Hunan University of Science and Technology and Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Simultaneously, the area’s ecological environment is improving with greater forest coverage around the mountain peak. A report by the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research last month declared that Tibet viewed as the roof of the world was confronted with a grim outlook.
The reason for the adverse scenario was retreating glaciers and increased natural disasters because of increasing temperatures as well as more human activities
The glacier located on the Tibetan plateau has been withdrawing since the 20th century because of surging temperature and at a quicker pace since 1990’s as per a scientific evaluation report released by the Institute.
Diminishing glacier in the Tibetan plateau is most seen in southeastern Tibet and the Himalayan Mountains. The condition of the glacier is pretty stable and even increasing in the Western Kunlun region and the Karakoram because of greater precipitation according to the report.
Natural disasters are on the increase on the Tibetan plateau because of greater human activity and global warming. Disasters such as landslides, snow disasters and torrential floods are anticipated to surge and fires will prove more difficult to extinguish as well as prevent.
The good news is that the number and area of lakes on the Tibetan plateau has significantly increased. The quantity of lakes more than one square kilometer in size has increased from 1,081 in the 1970s to 1,236 in 2010, and around 80% of existing lakes are getting bigger.
The report also mentioned that the area, as well as growing stock of forests on the plateau, has grown substantially from 1998 owners. The credit for growth is primarily given to measures by the forestry conservation and restoration.
Observers are keenly watching how global warming affects Mount Everest as well as the Tibetan Plateau.
