Some Himalayan ice not shrinking

摘要

An important portion of Himalayan glacier cover is currently stable and, thanks to an insulating layer of debris, may even be growing, a new study finds. The conclusion contradicts a portion of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that had to be retracted last year because it could not be substantiated. Though the IPCC report stated that the risk of the region's glaciers "disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high," the new study finds that ice cover is stable in the Karakoram Mountains, a northern range that holds about half of the Himalaya's frozen water.