Scientists have found that glaciers in the Himalayan mountain range have an interesting effect that could help slow climate change.
According to Science Daily, research by scientists has shown that strong and cold winds generated by melting ice on the surface of mountain ranges cool the surfaces on the mountain slopes, and this phenomenon may be slowing the negative effects of climate change in the region.
Professor Francesca Pellicciotti from the Austrian Institute of Science and Technology said that the temperature difference between the glaciers on the surface, which are melting due to the warm weather, and the lower layers leads to the formation of an air gap and therefore strong cold winds down the slopes.
Noting that these cold winds penetrate deep into the mountainsides and valleys where glaciers are located, Pellicciotti said this leads to cooling in the region’s ecosystem.
Researchers think that the fact that temperature measurements at the foot of Mount Everest have remained unaffected despite rising temperatures around the world in recent years may be linked to this event.
Franco Salerno from Italy’s National Research Council, who participated in the research, said in a statement about their work in the region, “Minimum temperatures have been steadily increasing, while surface temperature maxima in summer have been steadily decreasing.”
Researchers believe that since the effects of the event in the Himalayan glaciers are regional, its impact on rapidly rising temperatures on a global basis is limited and may only contribute to slowing the negative effects of climate change.
The results of the study were published in the journal “Nature Geoscience”.
