[Mb-civic] Danger of melting Everest glaciers

[Alexander Harper]

You should see the glaciers in Patagonia. They are shrinking too.
Al  Baraka
----- Original Message -----
From: "Barbara Siomos" <barbarasiomos38 at msn.com>
To: mb-civic at islandlists.com
Subject: [Mb-civic] Danger of melting Everest glaciers
Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 20:49:24 GMT

> 
> 
> BEIJING, China, May 17, (Reuters) -- Global warming is shrinking 
> glaciers on the Tibet side of Mount Everest faster than ever, 
> putting world water supplies at risk, Xinhua news agency said on 
> Tuesday.
> 
> Chinese scientists researching the world's tallest peak, which 
> China refers to by its
> Tibetan name, "Qomolangma", had found
> clear evidence of increasing glacial melting,
> Xinhua said.
> 
> "Global warming has resulted in glaciers melting fast in the Mount 
> Qomolangma area ... threatening the balance of global
> water resources," it said.
> 
> Around 75 percent of the world's fresh water is stored in glacial 
> ice, much of it in mountain areas, allowing for heavy winter
> rain and snowfall to be released gradually
> into river networks throughout the
> summer or dry months.
> 
> "The growing melting area means less fresh water reserves for the 
> world in the future," Xinhua said.
> 
> The Chinese scientists had found the melting point of one Everest 
> glacier had risen around 50 meters (165 feet) in just
> two years, more than twice as fast as
> normal, while a huge, high-altitude ice cliff
> seen in 2002 had apparently disappeared,
> it said.
> 
> Similar melting has been reported on Nepal's side of the mountain. 
> The United Nations warned in 2002 that more than 40
> Himalayan glacial lakes were dangerously
> close to bursting, endangering thousands
> of people, because of global warming.
> 
> Scientists say global warming could drive the average global 
> temperature up by 1.4-5.8 Celsius (2.5-10.5 Fahrenheit) over the
> next 100 years, which would cause glaciers
> to retreat and oceans to rise and swamp
> low-lying areas around the world.
> 
> 
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