Photographs reveal Everest ice loss
Thu, Jul 07 2010
Comparative photographs from the north face of Mount Everest show that the world's highest mountain has experienced great ice loss since the 1920s.

The new images were taken by mountaineer David Breashears from the same spot where British climber George Mallory took similar shots in 1921, the BBC reported.

"The photographs reveal a startling truth: the ice of the Himalaya is disappearing," the Asia Society (AS) that arranged the photographs said in a statement.

"They reveal an alarming loss in ice mass over an 89-year period."

According to experts, the comparison reveals a white, S-shaped sweep of ice where the main Rongbuk Glacier once covered the mountain façade.

"Returning to the exact same vantage points, Breashears has meticulously recreated their shots, pixel for pixel," the AS statement said.

"The photographs illustrate the severity of the loss of ice mass among the glaciers surrounding Mount Everest."

The AS is concerned about the dramatic ice loss due to the fact that the Himalaya rage houses the world's largest sub-polar ice reserves which provide water supply for millions of people.

"If the present rate of melting continues, many of these glaciers will be severely diminished by the middle of this century," the AS statement said.

Breashears' work has resulted in a then-and-now series of photographs from Tibet, Nepal and near K2 in Pakistan, all of which show shrinking glaciers. 
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