Global warming is affecting life as we know it. According to a new study, the total lost glacier mass from the Himalayas is adding up to the mass of 570 million elephants. Read to know more.
All about the lost glacier mass of the Himalayas
A new study conducted jointly by researchers from the Graz University of Technology in Austria, the University of St Andrews in the UK, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Carnegie Mellon University reveals and maps a significant loss of glacial mass in the Himalayas. The study reveals a loss of glacier mass equalling that of the weight of 570 million elephants. The study is published in Nature Geoscience and elaborates on one of the most underestimated losses.
“Our estimates reduce uncertainties in total glacier mass loss, provide important data for glacial-hydrological models, and therefore also support the water resources management in this sensitive mountain region,” revealed the study. “They believe the study will help in understanding other underestimated masses across the world.
Climate change: More on the shocking climate change reality
While satellites help in measuring the surface areas of lakes, they fail in tracking the conversion of ice into the water below the lake’s surface. As per the study, this is the biggest reason behind the underestimation. The shocking part of the study is the evidence of the loss in under two decades. The study reveals that in the two decades between 2000 and 2020, proglacial lakes in the Himalayan region rose by 33 percent, 42 percent, and 47 percent in the area, volume, and number respectively. However, this expansion was the reason behind an estimated glacial loss of 2.7 Gt. The weight equals 570 million elephants, 1000 times more than the total elephants on the planet.
