Peru's glaciers shrank 40% in 4 decades from climate change
Peru's glaciers shrank 40% in 4 decades from climate change
Thursday, 16 October 2014 - 11:01am IST | Place: Lima (Peru) | Agency: Reuters
Climate change has shrunk Peruvian glaciers by 40% in the past four decades and the melt-off has spawned nearly 1,000 new high-altitude lakes since 1980, Peru's government said on Wednesday.
Nearly 90% of Peruvian glaciers are smaller than 1-square-kilometer, putting them at greater risk of disappearing in coming years, Peru's water authority said in an update of its glacier inventory from the 1970s.
Peru's 2,679 glaciers, spread over 19 snow-capped mountain ranges, are the source of the vast majority of the country's drinking water.
Climate change is expected to diminish fresh water supplies in fast-growing Peru, though glacial melt-off could boost availability in some watersheds in the short-term.
More:
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-peru-s-glaciers-shrank-40-in-4-decades-from-climate-change-2026571