Research shows that the Khumbu glacier is rapidly thinning as a result of the changing climate. “We see increased rock falls and movement of melt-water on the surface of the glaciers that can be hazardous,” Scott Watson, a researcher at the University of Leeds who studies glaciers, told the BBC.
The current base camp location is becoming destabilized by the ice melt and is no longer safe. Climbers say cracks appear in the ground overnight, and guides say they expect more avalanches and ice falls at the current location going forward. The new base camp will be around 200 to 400 meters lower in altitude — and in a spot where there isn’t year-round ice.
Climate change isn’t the only contributing factor, though: the sheer number of people passing through the base camp adds to the destabilization. “For instance, we found that people urinate around 4,000 liters at the base camp every day,” Khimlal Gautam, a member of the committee that recommended the move, told the BBC. “And the massive amount of fuels like kerosene and gas we burn there for cooking and warming will definitely have impacts on the glacier’s ice.”
Research shows that the Khumbu glacier is rapidly thinning as a result of the changing climate. “We see increased rock falls and movement of melt-water on the surface of the glaciers that can be hazardous,” Scott Watson, a researcher at the University of Leeds who studies glaciers, told the BBC.
The current base camp location is becoming destabilized by the ice melt and is no longer safe. Climbers say cracks appear in the ground overnight, and guides say they expect more avalanches and ice falls at the current location going forward. The new base camp will be around 200 to 400 meters lower in altitude — and in a spot where there isn’t year-round ice.
Climate change isn’t the only contributing factor, though: the sheer number of people passing through the base camp adds to the destabilization. “For instance, we found that people urinate around 4,000 liters at the base camp every day,” Khimlal Gautam, a member of the committee that recommended the move, told the BBC. “And the massive amount of fuels like kerosene and gas we burn there for cooking and warming will definitely have impacts on the glacier’s ice.”
That’s 0.00000040 Olympic sized swimming pools A DAY.
How many football fields is that, you European weirdo? :grillman:
equivalent to over two thousand 2-liter bottles of Diet Coke
How many quarts is that, you European weirdo? :grillman:
A little over two thousand two-quart bottles of Diet Coke
holy fucking shit
That means there's between 2000-3200 people at the base camp every single day.