Satellite imaging is revealing a substantial spread of grasses and shrubs up the flanks of the Himalayan mountains (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/10/grass-growing-around-mount-everest-as-global-heating-intensifies ). This is clearly related to climate change and may not sound too big a deal but the mountains are the source of the 10 biggest rivers that provide the people of Asia with most of their water (the rate of melting of the glaciers has doubled in the last 20 years). The increased vegetation near the mountain peaks (the so-called subnival region where snow is only present for part of the year) may well increase the probability of flooding events in those regions.
No comments:
Post a Comment