Incredible Cold War spy satellite images reveal horrifying extent of Himalayan glacier loss
GLACIERS in the Himalayas are melting at double the pace, according to researchers who have used Cold War spy satellite images to compare the conditions back then to now.
Scientists compared old photographs of glaciers taken during a US spy programme with recent spacecraft observations and found that melting in the area has doubled over the past 40 years.
The researchers think their study provides evidence that the rising temperatures caused by climate change are 'eating' the Himalayan' glaciers.
This dramatic glacier loss is horrifying because it could threaten water supplies for hundreds of millions of people across Asia and result in droughts and water shortages.
The study used 40 years of satellite observations across India, China, Nepal and Bhutan to determine that glaciers in this area have been losing a foot and a half of ice each year since 2000, which is double the amount of melting that took place between 1975 and 2000.
Lead author of the study Joshua Maurer, from Columbia University in the US, said: "This is the clearest picture yet of how fast Himalayan glaciers are melting over this time interval, and why."
In other news, Antarctica ‘thinning’ at ‘extraordinary rate’ as experts reveal 100 metres of ice sheet thickness has vanished since the 90s.
A study found that the world's biggest ice sheet is melting 10 times faster than expected.
And, scientists have warned that two thirds of ice in the Alps will melt by 2100.
What do you think of this glacier melting discovery? Let us know in the comments...
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.