Summary: Glaciers in the Karakoram Mountains, which hold approximately half of the Himalaya's frozen water, have disproved part of the report that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that said the risk of the region's glaciers "disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high". The glaciers in the Karakoram Mountains are very stable presently, and might be growing because of an insulating layer of debris. About 58% of the glaciers that were studied were either stable or growing up to 12 meters per year. However, glaciers in other places have been shrinking. In the past century, the Karakoram Mountains were receding, but in the late 1990s, they began to do just the opposite. It is speculated that the rocks that erode in this region have actually kept the glaciers from melting. DISCOVERY BASED SCIENCE: Why? It is just an inference that scientists have made by observing glacial changes and comparing them to the Karakoram Mountains, it is not something that they tested with an experiment.
Why is it helpful to humans? It helps us understand how the glaciers in the Himalayas have survived global warming and may lead to finding a way to preserve glaciers in other regions.
Janet Raloff. Some Himalayan ice not shrinking. Science News Journal. February 26, 2011 pg. 9
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