Climate change may cause the disappearance of 5,500 Everest glaciers

Scientists predict that about 5,500 glaciers on the roof of the world will disappear or be severely withdrawn by the end of the 21st century, affecting agriculture and hydropower.

5,500 Everest glaciers can disappear because of climate change

The team from Nepal, France and the Netherlands said if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, by 2100, 5,500 glaciers in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region will melt and lose about 70-99%. .

Climate change causes melting ice and glaciers are in danger of disappearing.(Photo: Alamy)

This is the first study to predict the effects of Himalayan glaciers in rising temperatures. This depends on emissions of greenhouse gases and how these emissions affect temperature, snow and rainfall in the region. Accordingly, rising temperatures not only increase the rate of snow and ice melt but also affect the rainfall caused by snow at certain heights, where the glacier is concentrated.

Experts study mainly in the Dudh Kosi basin ice sheets in Nepal's Himalayas and identify lower glaciers that will melt faster. The freeze in January was 3,200 m and 5,500 m in August. According to scientist Walter Immerzeel of the University of Utrecht (Netherlands), by 2100, the freezing rate will be 800-1,200 m higher. This not only reduces the amount of snow accumulated on the ice sheets, but also makes over 90% of the area covered by the ice exposed during the hot months.

Agriculture as well as hydropower will be seriously affected by melting ice. Today, the lives of more than a billion Asians depend on rivers originating from the ice sheets on the peaks of the Himalayas. The faster melting rate will cause the flow to increase, however the amount of water flowing down from the ice sheets will gradually decrease during the hot seasons. Melting ice also affects the creation and expansion of lakes that are formed by ice. Snow and earthquakes can break the dam, causing serious flooding.