Italian scientists have found abundant evidence that the world’s tallest peak is shedding its frozen cloak.

“Glaciers in the Mount Everest region have shrunk by 13 percent in the last 50 years and the snowline has shifted upward by 590 feet (180 m),” explained Dr Sudeep Thakuri of the University of Milan in Italy, who with colleagues presented the findings on May 14, 2013 at the Meeting of the Americas in Cancun, Mexico, a scientific conference organized and co-sponsored by the American Geophysical Union.

“Glaciers smaller than 0.39 square mile (1 square km) are disappearing the fastest and have experienced a 43 percent decrease in surface area since the 1960s. Because the glaciers are melting faster than they are replenished by ice and snow, they are revealing rocks and debris that were previously hidden deep under the ice. These debris-covered sections of the glaciers have increased by about 17 percent since the 1960s. The ends of the glaciers have also retreated by an average of 1,312 feet (400 m) since 1962.”

The team suspects that the decline of snow and ice in the Everest region is from human-generated greenhouse gases altering global climate.

“However, they have not yet established a firm connection between the mountains’ changes and climate change,” Dr Thakuri said.

The team determined the extent of glacial change on Everest and the surrounding 443 square miles (1,148 square km) Sagarmatha National Park by compiling satellite imagery and topographic maps and reconstructing the glacial history.

“Statistical analysis shows that the majority of the glaciers in the national park are retreating at an increasing rate,” Dr Thakuri said.

To evaluate the temperature and precipitation patterns in the area, the scientists have been analyzing hydro-meteorological data from the Nepal Climate Observatory stations and Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

They found that the Everest region has undergone a 0.6 degree Celsius (1.08 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in temperature and 3.9 inches (100 mm) decrease in precipitation during the pre-monsoon and winter months since 1992.

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Bibliographic information: S. Thakuri et al. Glacier response to climate trend and climate variability in Mt. Everest region (Nepal). Meeting of the Americas; ePoster C21B-01