Kathmandu, February 5. Researchers have discovered rapid melting of the ice in South Col Glacier, the highest glacier of the world’s tallest Mount Everest.

In the research paper published in the Nature Journal, the experts have described that the South Col Glacier, located at an elevation of 8,020 meters, is melting 80 times faster than it did in its early history.

The shocking phenomenon has its roots in the intense warming of the earth’s atmosphere, which became a global concern in the late 1990s. The authors reported that the “Ice that took 2,000 years to form” has completely melted in the past three decades.

The data came from a thorough examination of ice samples retrieved from a 10-meter long glacial core. In 2019, a group of ten researchers climbed to the South Col Glacier to visit the world’s highest weather monitoring stations. They extracted ice samples and examined them using radiocarbon analysis, ultra-high-resolution lasers, and plasma mass spectrometry.

The researchers also warned that the rapid shrinking of the glacial ice could impact the lives of 250 million people who depend upon the waters for hydropower, agriculture and other human consumption. 

Click here to read the detailed research article entitled “Mt. Everest’s highest glacier is a sentinel for accelerating ice loss,” produced with collaborative efforts by University of Maine, National Geographic Society, Rolex, and Tribhuvan University.