Kilimanjaro ice could vanish within 20 years
Global warming not local weather variations to blame for loss of up to 17 feet of ice, say scientistsThe famous Snows of Kilimanjaro that cap Africa's highest mountain are melting so fast they could be gone within two decades, according to a study of the mountain's ice fields that used data going back nearly a century.Scientists believe global warming rather than local weather changes is chiefly to blame for the rapid loss of ice from the Tanzanian peak.A study comparing new measurements with those taken in 2000 show that a layer of ice between six and 17 feet thick has vanished from the summit since that time.Not only are the mountain's glaciers retreating at an unprecedented rate, but its remaining ice is thinning.The researchers predict that if current conditions persist, the mountain could be ice-free as early as 2022.The Snows of Kilimanjaro will then exist only as a memory —...
Read the whole article on The Guardian - Science
More from The Guardian - Science
Related
- Snows Of Kilimanjaro shrinking rapidly, and likely to be lostMon, 2 Nov 2009, 15:56:48 EST
- High risk of acute mountain sickness on Mount KilimanjaroWed, 6 Oct 2010, 13:54:41 EDT
- Topography of mountains could complicate rates of global warmingWed, 21 Apr 2010, 13:43:56 EDT
- International Field Campaign examines impact of beetle kill on Rocky Mountain weather, air qualityWed, 24 Sep 2008, 11:30:49 EDT
- Unprecedented glacier melting in the Andes blamed on climate changeTue, 22 Jan 2013, 11:37:40 EST