Spatially heterogeneous wastage of Himalayan glaciers.

Himalayan glaciers: the big picture is a montage.

U nusual miscarriages of science (1, 2) recently rocked climate change science and glaciology. An infamous paragraph, uncharacteristic of the rest of the contribution of Working Group II to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment, claimed that Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035 (1). In such a monumental report, errors can be expected. However, this error, explica...

Spatially variable response of Himalayan glaciers to climate change affected by debris cover

Controversy about the current state and future evolution of Himalayan glaciers has been stirred up by erroneous statements in the fourth report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change1,2. Variable retreat rates3–6 and a paucity of glacial mass-balance data7,8 make it difficult to develop a coherent picture of regional climate-change impacts in the region. Here, we report remotely-sense...

The state and fate of Himalayan glaciers.

Himalayan glaciers are a focus of public and scientific debate. Prevailing uncertainties are of major concern because some projections of their future have serious implications for water resources. Most Himalayan glaciers are losing mass at rates similar to glaciers elsewhere, except for emerging indications of stability or mass gain in the Karakoram. A poor understanding of the processes affec...

Widespread Albedo Decreasing and Induced Melting of Himalayan Snow and Ice in the Early 21st Century

BACKGROUND The widely distributed glaciers in the greater Himalayan region have generally experienced rapid shrinkage since the 1850s. As invaluable sources of water and because of their scarcity, these glaciers are extremely important. Beginning in the twenty-first century, new methods have been applied to measure the mass budget of these glaciers. Investigations have shown that the albedo is ...

Impact of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor on snow cover and glaciers in the Himalayan, Karakorum, and Hindukush region