New Photos Show 'Devastating' Ice Loss On Everest

Simmeh writes "The BBC reports on new photos of the Himalayas taken from exactly the same position as ones from 1929 and compares the ice coverage. The Asia Society, which did the groundwork, are quoted as saying, 'If the present rate of melting continues, many of these glaciers will be severely diminished by the middle of this century.' I guess the previous claim wasn't too unrealistic."

Comments

Easier for denialists

[colinrichardday]

But won't this make it easier for AGW denialists to climb Everest?

Re:Easier for denialists

[DWMorse]

A little mental parsing and I've come up with 'Alien Galactic Weasels.' I can see how being in denial about such things can be devastating to one's capacity to ascend mountain peaks.

Re:Easier for denialists

[JWSmythe]

    I believe AGW is "Anti-George-W", in reference to the previous president. Alternatively, it would be "Anti-Global-Warming". Expanding it, "Anti Global Warming Denialists" makes an interesting double negative. I suppose that would be someone who denies that anti global warming activists exist, but I could be mistaken.

Re:Easier for denialists

[zmollusc]

I, for one,...

Re:Easier for denialists

[Anonymous Coward]

Hello! I am the AC in question! :)

Quite simply, my friend, I am a drunkard. I have much practice typing while intoxicated.

Re:Easier for denialists

[L4t3r4lu5]

... wish that I'd remembered to finish the sentence before I hit submit? D:

Re:Easier for denialists

[mgblst]

the laws and regulations that make the rest of us live like peasants.

I know, not having two hummers, 4 bathrooms in your bachelor pad, and your own jet makes you a fucking peasant.

Re:Easier for denialists

[mcgrew]

Spelling out Anti Global Warming, or saying Global Warming Denialists, would be TMI.

HAND.

PS: What is "fsck" an acronym for? I'm guessing "fucking stupid censorship, kids".

Sorry, my bad.

[DWMorse]

We needed something to put the kegs in to stay cold.

We needed something epic.

News Flash!

[Anonymous Coward]

About 10k years ago, there was glacier over a mile thick right where I am sitting.

Must have been all those SUV driving woolly mammoth bastards!

Re:News Flash!

[Rakshasa Taisab]

And we also know that temperatures are moving towards a climate singularity just like the technology singularity, changing at ever faster speeds due to natural causes.

Re:News Flash!

[slater.jay]

Today: Look out! There's a glacier on the horizon!
Tomorrow: Look out! There's a glacier on the horizon!
...
Slightly more than a year later: Look out! The glacier is almost here!

(Using 20-30 meters per day as a speed, per Wikipedia).

Re:News Flash!

[sjs132]

I'm not rich, and my home is much-much(x6) smaller, but I like that decking. Does it make me feel good? Not in the least bit... I hadn't even though about that until your post. I guess I should be happy that trees are not cut down for my deck covering, but I still live in a house made of sticks.

I guess it would be better if we all crawled back into caves? Now that's a feel good idea. How about self-recycling? You could compost yourself in a forest and do good for the planet to. (Think how low of a carbon footprint you'd achieve!) :)

Re:Photos from the same spot but not the same seas

[Anonymous Coward]

So we have a few photographs and the conclusion that the ice loss is devastating--despite no investigation as to whether the photographs were taken during the same day of the year nor as to what the internal variability is.

Oh right, you're one of those deniers I've heard abou;, who requires evidence before he'll believe. Behold the power of faith, my friend, and you don't need evidence! (hopefully my sarcasm is evident...)

Hugely surprised

[crackerpipe]

I actually believed Bush and company that we shouldn't trust the science and I was entirely in favor of all the related political firings from NASA, the NOAA and so on without cause. And also I was entirely for funding an unnecessary war on credit to the point where it bankrupted our country to such a degree that the following administration essentially has no way to fix it except to commit political suicide a la Jimmy Carter measures. I was right on the bandwagon for torture and illegal domestic monitoring of our citizens. Dang, but now it turns out I was incorrect, that some of these scientists who are analyzing maps are correct? Well then, they need to be fired. Alternatively, we can declare the receding ice photos a "national security" issue, in the same manner we deal with any information we think might embarrass us these days. I can't take photos of certain buildings in my own country anymore but I am certainly free to be surreptitiously videotaped and so forth. Since I live in this manufactured ignorance world created by spin doctors, this ice information is very surprising to me. I really thought we had these scientists under proper control, but here they go telling home truths yet again. Boy do I feel foolish.

My Back Yard

[darkpixel2k]

It reminds me of the difference between my back yard during the winter of 1921 and my back yard during the summer of 2010...