The glaciers of the Himalayas are melting at an accelerating rate, according to a study that underscores the impact of climate change on an area that is a critical source of water supply for India and China.
The glaciers have been losing the equivalent of 50cm of ice vertically each year since 2000, melting twice as fast as they were during the 1975 to 2000 period, according to a forthcoming study in Science Advances that surveys 40 years of satellite data.
The impact of Himalayan glacial melting is significant because the region provides water to about 800m people across Asia, who depend on seasonal run-off when the ice melts in the spring.