Mount Everest's Sherpas Ring Warning Bell on Global Warming (2010 Top Environment Alert)

[LaurenG]

When sherpas ring the warning bell on climate change the world should listen: Mount Everest is becoming increasingly dangerous to climb because global warming is melting glacier ice along its slopes, according to Apa, a Nepalese Sherpa who grew up in the foothills to Mount Everest, reached the 29,035-foot (8,850-metre) summit on Saturday for the 20th time, breaking his own previous world record for 19 ascents.Rising temperatures have melted much of the ice on the steep trail to the summit and climbers are struggling to get traction on the exposed rock surface.

A recent report by scientists at University College London said the Himalayan glaciers are retreating faster than many others around the world, at rates ranging from 10 to 60 metres per year. Professor Steve Edwards, an earth scientist who coauthored the report, titled "The Waters of the Third Pole," said the effects of glacial melting posed a real risk to climbers.

“The general trend shows that the Himalayan glaciers as a whole are melting faster than many others. It is probably the fastest rate of melting in the world,” he said.

“The result is that in the summer months there is going to be a lot of slush on the ice fields. There is also the risk of glacial outburst floods, where the meltwater tops the bank of sediment left behind by the glacier during a period of intense melting and crashes down the river valley, destroying everything in its path.”

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1hoSo6/www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2010/12/-mount-everests-sherpas-ring-warning-bell-on-global-warming-2010-top-environment-alert.html

[petronius]

1. I imagine the ice fall area is becoming less stable as well

IIRC, that's one of if not the most dangerous parts of the ascent...

[PearliePoo2]

2. How do I post a photo here?

In the link to the article, there is an incredible picture of the Himalayan range from space courtesy of NASA. I'd like to post it, but I don't have the knowledge to know how to do it.

[immoderate]

3. right click the photo, copy the URL to the clip board, paste it into the post...

Voila!

--imm

[Amonester]

4. I don't pretend the following link to be the best one, but...

it works fine for me (since I never use my free monthly bandwidth for more than 5%):

http://photobucket.com/

You register an account there, and create a private or public album, upload .jpg or .gif pictures from your HD, save them in your album, and once you select a saved picture, you copy the public link to the clipboard, in windoze, with one click. All there is left to do is paste that link in your DU posts.