Ten-fold Increase in Himalayan Ice Loss Over Recent Decades

Scientific Reports, December 20

During the past four decades, Himalayan glaciers have experienced a ten-fold increase in ice loss compared to their long-term average set over the past seven centuries. The Little Ice Age took place 400-700 years ago and represents the last period of widespread glacier expansion in the Himalaya. Since then, Himalayan glaciers have lost 40% of their total area (between 390 and 586 cubic kilometers of ice) – equivalent to all the ice in Scandinavia, the European Alps and the Caucasus combined.

The recent magnitude and rate of ice loss in the Hindu Kush Himalaya is exceptionally high when compared to glaciers elsewhere in the world. As the authors write, “The order of magnitude increase in Himalayan glacier mass loss in recent decades compared to the post-Little Ice Age average represents the most dramatic glacier response of any world region.”

Meltwater from Himalayan glaciers forms the headwaters of the major river systems in South Asia, supporting food and energy production downstream, as well as maintaining a range of ecosystems. These results emphasize the importance of reducing global emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change on Himalayan glaciers and snowpack. The disappearance of these glaciers jeopardizes the agriculture, drinking water, and energy production relied upon by close to 3 billion people in Asia.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-03805-8