It is not only global warming that is melting the Himalayan glaciers. Locally released smoke — be it from your vehicle, or from rural kitchens using wood fires — also contributes, said a study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), released on Monday.
“The rate of
warming, over areas of the Himalayas, is more than five times the rate of global warming,” said William Lau, head of atmospheric sciences at NASA, in a statement on the organisation’s website.
“Based on the differences it’s not difficult to conclude that greenhouse gases are not the sole agents of change in this region,” the statement added. “There’s a localised phenomenon at play.”
The study, based on satellite data on aerosols — solid particles that float in the earth’s atmosphere — found that when fossil fuels are burnt in insufficient oxygen, they produce an aerosol called ‘black carbon’. Black carbon, which has the capacity to absorb solar radiation, travels to colder areas where it creates a layer of warm air, which in turn leads to faster melting of ice. The study found, that smoke from cities along the Ganga river basin are also to blame for the faster melting of glaciers between April and September every year.
Himalayan glaciers have shrunk by about 20 per cent since the 60s. Black carbon concentration in the air is steadily increasing the study said.
“Lau and his team have found that 17 per cent of glacier melt is due to domestic pollution known as black carbon,” said Syed Iqbal Husnain, glaciologist at TERI.
This is, however, a problem that can be tackled more easily than greenhouse gas emissions. “If we reduce particulate emission by introducing low carbon diesel and strictly enforce emissions norms for vehicles, it can be controlled to a large extent,” said Husnain.