Study: Water supplies threatened as Himalayan glaciers quickly melt

Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The melting of glaciers in the Himalayas has increased 10-fold over the past few decades, threatening water sources for millions of people in Asia, according to a study published Monday.

The study led by the University of Leeds in Britain found that Himalayan glaciers are shrinking at an "exceptional" pace, far exceeding the rate of loss of glaciers in other parts of the world.

"Our findings clearly show that ice is now being lost from Himalayan glaciers at a rate that is at least ten times higher than the average rate over past centuries," Dr. Jonathan Carrivick, the study's lead author, said. "This acceleration in the rate of loss has only emerged within the last few decades, and coincides with human-induced climate change."

The study compared today's glaciers to 14,798 Himalayan glaciers during the "Little Ice Age" period of expansion around 400-700 years ago. It found that the glaciers have lost about 40% of their area in the interim.

During that period, they've also lost about the equivalent of all the ice currently contained in the central European Alps, the Caucasus and Scandinavia combined.

Water released as a result of the melting has caused global sea levels to rise between 0.92 millimeters and 1.38 millimeters.

The Himalayan mountain range, commonly referred to as "the Third Pole," holds the world's third-largest concentration of glacier ice following Antarctica and the Arctic. Its meltwater serves as the headwaters for the Brahmaputra, Ganges and Indus river systems.

Study co-author Dr. Simon Cook said people in the region "are already seeing changes that are beyond anything witnessed for centuries" as the thinning of the glaciers produces concerns about the sustainability of the water supply.

"This research is just the latest confirmation that those changes are accelerating and that they will have a significant impact on entire nations and regions," Cook said.