A recent study on the drastic effects of global warming has stated that, the ice covered mountain peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa are rapidly melting and could be completely eroded in the next 20 years. The study has blamed the green house gasses and the exponential increase in global warming for the continuing meltdown. Since the year 2000 till date, mount Kilimanjaro has witnessed a 26% increase in the rate of meltdown and if the current conditions prevail, the entire ice covered region could disappear in not more than two decades.
According to Lonnie Thompson (Professor, Earth Sciences, Ohio State University),
“In a very real sense, these glaciers are being decapitated from the surface down. The Kilimanjaro glaciers are indicators for a larger-scale process. It’s not just Kilimanjaro, it’s every tropical glacier in Africa, in the tropical Andes of South America, it’s the glaciers in New Guinea. We are losing all those glaciers in today’s world.”
The recent study was conducted by a group of scientists including Lonnie Thompson for the National Academy of Sciences and unlike the previous researches, where overhead flights were used to determine the deterioration of the ice levels, this time around, the scientists climbed the 19,331-foot peak and drilled into the glaciers to measure the ice levels.
The research team stayed at the mountain peak for two months, during which ice sample and other samples were taken for study. The scientists were accompanied by the local residents acting as guides for the region and the team carried over 6 tons of equipment for the research. The study has also revealed that, the Furtwangler Glacier has been reduced by 50% in the last nine year, portraying a disastrous future for all mankind.
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