Mount Everest's glaciers shrinking at increasing rate, say researchers

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/23/mount-everest-glaciers-shrinking-global-warming


Researchers say they suspect that the decline of snow and ice in the Everest region is a result of changes in global climate. Photograph: Rafal Belzowski/Getty Images

Global warming is melting snow and ice on the world's highest mountain at an accelerating rate, researchers have claimed.

A study by a team led by a Nepali scientist at the University of Milan has found that glaciers on or around Mount Everest have shrunk by 13% in the last 50 years with the snow line 180 metres higher than it was 50 years ago. The glaciers are disappearing faster every year, it says.

The 60th anniversary of the first ascent of the 8,848 metre (29,028ft) peak by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay will be celebrated next week.

The researchers say they suspect that the decline of snow and ice in the Everest region is a result of changes in global climate caused by human-generated greenhouse gases. However, they have not yet established a firm connection, Sudeep Thakuri, who led the team, said.