| Bhutan's
glaciers and glacial lakes |
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Bhutan Glaciers - Glacial Lakes |
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Bhutan Information |
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Glacial
Lakes from Retreating Glaciers |
According
to a joint press release issued by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey,
the great majority of the world's glaciers appear to be declining at rates
equal to or greater than long-established trends.
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Bhutan's glacial lakes
However,
Bhutan is not spared the adverse effects of global climate change, ozone
depletion or the loss of biodiversity. Natural disasters in the form of
, landslides, forest fires disrupt and endanger lives and threaten the
livelihoods of the people. |
| The
micro-organism, present mostly in Himalayan glaciers, develops black patches
on the glaciers and affects the pace of melting in glaciers. The team noticed
the black patches on the Wochey Lake and northern part of the Thorthormi
glacier in Lunana. |
This
image from the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection
Radiometer) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite shows the termini
of the glaciers in the Bhutan-Himalaya. Glacial lakes have been rapidly
forming on the surface of the debris-covered glaciers in this region during
the last few decades.
According
to Jeffrey Kargel, a USGS scientist, glaciers in the Himalaya are wasting
at alarming and accelerating rates, as indicated by comparisons of satellite
and historic data, and as shown by the widespread, rapid growth of lakes
on the glacier surfaces. According to a 2001 report by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, scientists estimate that surface temperatures
could rise by 1.4xC to 5.8xC by the end of the century. The researchers
have found a strong correlation between increasing temperatures and glacier
retreat
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