Sizing the glacier loss in the Eastern Himalayas

IMAGES of melting glaciers are perhaps the most common representation of climate change.

- ISSAC JAMES MANAYATH

Glaciers around the world are melting at an alarming rate due to global warming. A recent study by researchers from Nagaland University and Cotton University estimates that glaciers in the Eastern Himalayas, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, have retreated by an average of 16.94 sq km per year between 1988 and 2020. The Himalayas, often referred to as the 'third pole', contain the highest concentration of glaciers outside the polar regions. The study's authors, Vimha Ritse, Nabajit Hazarika, Amenuo Susan Kulnu, and Latong