Glacial Meltdown and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods

The scale of glacial melting on the west Rongbuk Glacier between 1921 and 2008. (Courtesy: RGS & David Breashears/GlacialWorks)

     

The Tibetan Plateau holds the Hindu-Kush Himalayan Ice Sheet, considered the largest ice mass outside the two poles. Hence scientists and geologists are increasingly using the name ‘Third Pole’ to pronounce the global significance of Tibet’s environment.

Are Tibetan Glaciers Melting?

Recently, there has been a lot of debate about the effect of climate change on the Himalayan glaciers. Many reports suggest that the glaciers of the Himalaya are melting and even receding at an alarming rate, and if it continues, the rivers will initially cause flooding and later dry up, thus affecting millions of people in Asia. But, there are many who have challenged this argument and believe that situation isn’t as bad as the reports such as IPCC 2007 would make us believe.

A recent report launched during the 17^th Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Durban (South Africa) by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) allegedly confirms the alarming problem of Himalayan glacial melting. This report follows an embarrassing and controversial report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007 which claims that the region’s glaciers would be gone by 2035.

The Significance of the Third Pole: The Tibetan Plateau

A satellite's-eye-view of the Tibetan Plateau. Image from NASA's Terra satellite. Photo credit- NASA

Tibetan Plateau referred to as ‘The Third Pole’ and ‘The Water Tower of Asia’ reflects the significance of its snow capped mountains and its alpine grasslands. Since time immemorial, the plateau holds the Hindu Kush Himalayan Ice Sheet, considered as the largest ice mass outside the two poles. Its plateau contains more than 45,000 glaciers covering an area of 105,000 km2. Encompassing an area of about 2.5 million square kilometers, or about one-third the area of the continental United States, the Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest region on Earth. With an average elevation of 4,500 meters above sea level, the Tibetan Plateau stretches for almost 3,000 kilometers from west to east and 1,500 kilometers from south to north. The Plateau is ringed by high mountains – the Himalayas to the south, the Karakorum in the west and the Kunlun across the north. One can just learn by looking at its map to figure out how the Tibetan Plateau dominates the geography of Asia.

Mount Kailash (Gang-Rinpoche)

Picture of Mt. Kailash, Western Tibet © Ray Kreisel

Mount Kailash (Tibetan: Gang-Tise or Gang-Rinpoche) is a 22,028 feet (6,714m) high peak in one of the highest and most inhospitable parts of the Himalayan mountains of western Tibet. Situated at 31.070704° N latitude and 81.314664° E longitude, it is one of the most significant mountain-geographically and spiritually.

This great mass of black rock has a distinct diamond-like shape with four sheer facades matching the cardinal points of the compass and isolated location with no other mountains in the vicinity to obscure its grandeur.