The Melting Mountains

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Subhead:

The Arctic ice caps and Antarctic glaciers are well-known barometers of global warming, but melting masses of ice in the Himalayas are in perhaps even more danger.

Body:

Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper flew a plane over Nepal's Himalayan glaciers, and found that the ice there is retreating more rapidly than scientists expected.

In some places, mountain lakes have grown so large they threaten to burst their banks –- which could lead to massive flooding in the heavily populated areas downstream.

Complete coverage at http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004547.html [1]

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teaser:

Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper flew a plane over Nepal's Himalayan glaciers, and found that the ice there is retreating more rapidly than scientists expected. In some places, mountain lakes have grown so large they threaten to burst their banks –- which could lead to massive flooding in the heavily populated areas downstream.