Baltoro glacier
More generally, the glaciers of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, which flanks the great mountain chains of the Hindu Kush, the Karakorum and the Himalayas, are retreating and melting at an alarmingly rapid rate.
Although this has caused huge floods in recent years, in future the great river systems of Asia will suffer from a shortage of water, creating a crisis for the billions of people who use them and paving the way towards desertification.
The situation is no better for the polar glaciers. In Greenland the great glaciers that stretch to the sea are not only retreating, but are disappearing increasingly quickly as the ocean waters become ever warmer, leading to a rise in sea levels.
The COSMO-SkyMed image shows us the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland, which has retreated by more than 10 Km in the past eight years.
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image:
The Jacobshavn glacier along the western coast
of Greenland, in a COSMO-SkyMed radar image
of Greenland, in a COSMO-SkyMed radar image
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image:
A mountain covered by glaciers and snowfields in the arid and barren
Qinghai-Tibet plateau, where all of Asia's most important rivers have their source
Qinghai-Tibet plateau, where all of Asia's most important rivers have their source
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