Monitoring freshwater changes in Asia

Today’s Video of the Day from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center describes how scientists are tracking rapid changes in glacier flows and snowmelt across Asia’s high mountain ranges.

As a result of a changing climate, experts estimate that these glaciers could be up to 75 percent smaller in volume by 2100.

Snow and glaciers in the Asian mountains contain the largest volume of freshwater outside of the north and south poles, and more than a billion people rely on this water. 

NASA’s High Mountain Asia Team (HiMAT), led by Anthony Arendt of the University of Washington, is in its third year of surveying changes in snow, ice, and water across the region. 

Recently, satellite technology has made it possible to conduct detailed studies in the high Asian mountains for the first time. 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center