Why in the News?

Yala Glacier in Nepal is predicted to disappear by the 2040s due to rapid retreat and mass loss. It is the only glacier in the Himalayas listed on the Global Glacier Casualty List, an initiative launched in 2024 to document endangered or vanished glaciers worldwide.

About the Yala Glacier 

• Yala Glacier is located in the Langtang Valley, central Nepal, and is influenced by the Indian summer monsoon.
• It is one of the most studied glaciers in Nepal and represents the Hindu Kush Himalayan region in the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) database.
• The glacier has been monitored for over a decade using stakes, snow pits, and satellite images, providing crucial data on the state of Himalayan glaciers.
• It is the only glacier in the Himalayas included in the Global Glacier Casualty List, a recognition of its critical status.
• It plays a vital role in studying the cryosphere, a critical water resource supporting 240 million people in the Himalayan region.

Retreat of Yala Glacier

• Yala Glacier is projected to disappear by the 2040s, reflecting the growing threat to Himalayan glaciers.
• It has retreated by 680 meters between 1974 and 2021, with a 36% reduction in area during this period.
• Its elevation, which ranged between 5,170m and 5,750m in 2011, has significantly declined.
• The glacier has lost so much mass that it no longer meets scientific standards for effective observation.
• The Hindu Kush Himalayan cryosphere is warming twice as fast as the global average, leading to rapid glacial retreat.

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