Nepal‑Tibet disaster linked to climate change—a glaciologist explains
The cause of the huge floods and debris flow on the border between Nepal and Tibet, which have caused hundreds of deaths, appears to have been an ice avalanche—the result of a huge piece of a glacier collapsing and cascading down the mountain more than 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) to the valley floor. The Conversation asked Jonathan Bamber, a professor of glaciology at the University of Bristol,…
The recent floods and debris flow across the Nepal-Tibet border were triggered by an ice avalanche, the result of a massive glacier collapse. Jonathan Bamber, a glaciology professor at the University of Bristol, explains that this massive piece of ice plummeted over a thousand meters into a valley, releasing approximately half a million tons of ice.
The Greater Himalayan region, or High Mountain Asia (HMA), often dubbed the "third pole" due to its considerable glacier ice content, is particularly vulnerable to such disasters. The HMA comprises many glaciers lining the northern border of Nepal and China, forming an east-west line of Himalayan peaks. The Himalayan territory is known for its extreme mountainous terrain and susceptibility to landslides, rockfalls, and hazards associated with glacial lake outburst floods and ice cliff collapses.
The rapid warming of the planet, which has surpassed the global average in the Himalayan region, is leading to faster ice melting. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the world has warmed by 1.4°C, with the Himalayan region experiencing even greater warming. The increased melting, coupled with permafrost thaw, destabilizes steep landscapes, leading to heightened risks of ice avalanches, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods.
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