Karakoram Glaciers remained Impervious of Global Warming

According to a recent study published in the Journal Nature Geoscience on 9 July 2012, Diran and Rakaposhi, two glaciers in the Karakoram Range of northern Pakistan, remain unaffected of global warming and contrary to the popular belief, grew slightly in recent years. The study found that the glacier saw an increase in ice thickness of 0.11 (plus or minus 0.22) metres of water equivalent per year between 1999 and 2008.

The researchers had used spaceborne data to study a 5615 sq km section of the Karakoram Range of northern Pakistan and western China. The findings of the study are of great importance given the fact that the entire Himalayan mountain range is estimated to lose about 0.4 to 0.8 metres ice per year.

Karakoram mountain range, which account for 3 percent of the total ice-covered area in the world, is located across the border of Pakistan, India and China. The mountain range is concentrated in Gilgit–Baltistan in Pakistan, Ladakh in India, and Xinjiang region, in China. Part of greater Himalaya it is one of the largest mountain range of the world. K2 or Godwin Austen, the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest, is part of the Karakoram Range. The total elevation of K2 is 8611 m (28251 feet).