Indian satellite shows most Himalayan glaciers are retreating

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has backed the much-maligned 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) saying the Himalayan glaciers are shrinking. Officials from the ISRO have revealed that 75 percent of the 2,190 glaciers studied, are shrinking.

The study of the space research organization's satellite imagery covered the last 15 years and concludes that, on average Himalayan glaciers have retreated nearly four kilometres, with only eight percent of the glaciers increasing their area.

The study was commissioned by India's Ministry of Environment & Forests and Department of Space to challenge the IPCC's  conclusion that the glaciers “disappear altogether by 2035 if not sooner." However, the early conclusions are likely to cause further concern, as the glaciers are ultimately water sources for not only India, but also China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.

The full data will be published in an upcoming science journal. The present study included the basins of the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra, as well as parts of China, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan.