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Cold War Spy Satellites Reveal Extent of Himalayan Glacier Melt
Declassified Cold War, high resolution, spy satellite images have provided clear data on the level of glacial ice loss, over time, in the Himalayas. The photos, taken in the 1970s and 1980s, cover around 650 glaciers. Comparison with modern data and satellite imagery from the 2000s shows that these glaciers are now melting twice as fast as they were before 2000.
These trends were broadly consistent across a 1200-mile strip of the Himalayas suggesting a common cause affecting the Himalayas as a whole. Analysis suggests that this level of melt would require from 0.4 to 1.4 degrees (Celsius) of warming. Local weather stations recorded warming of about 1 degree C between 2000 and 2016.
Himalayan mountain glaciers are a key source of fresh water for major rivers, regional ecosystems and millions of human inhabitants. Eventual loss of significant glacial melt will affect downstream agriculture and the needs of human habitation. Himalayan losses are consistent with the even more rapid ice loss occurring in the European Alps. Research suggests that meltwater from mountain glaciers accounts for about a third of all sea level rise in the past 60 years. This does not include ice loss from the huge Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
Source:
Scientific American
Cold War Spy Satellites Reveal Substantial Himalayan Glacier Melt
An oblique view of Himalayan landscape captured by a KH-9 HEXAGON satellite on December 20, 1975, on the border between eastern Nepal and Sikkim, India. Credit: Josh Maurer LDEO
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Declassified Cold War, high resolution, spy satellite images have provided clear data on the level of glacial ice loss, over time, in the Himalayas. The photos, taken in the 1970s and 1980s, cover around 650 glaciers. Comparison with modern data and satellite imagery from the 2000s shows that these glaciers are now melting twice as fast as they were before 2000.
These trends were broadly consistent across a 1200-mile strip of the Himalayas suggesting a common cause affecting the Himalayas as a whole. Analysis suggests that this level of melt would require from 0.4 to 1.4 degrees (Celsius) of warming. Local weather stations recorded warming of about 1 degree C between 2000 and 2016.
Himalayan mountain glaciers are a key source of fresh water for major rivers, regional ecosystems and millions of human inhabitants. Eventual loss of significant glacial melt will affect downstream agriculture and the needs of human habitation. Himalayan losses are consistent with the even more rapid ice loss occurring in the European Alps. Research suggests that meltwater from mountain glaciers accounts for about a third of all sea level rise in the past 60 years. This does not include ice loss from the huge Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
Source:
Scientific American
Cold War Spy Satellites Reveal Substantial Himalayan Glacier Melt
An oblique view of Himalayan landscape captured by a KH-9 HEXAGON satellite on December 20, 1975, on the border between eastern Nepal and Sikkim, India. Credit: Josh Maurer LDEO
OB