Himalayas Glaciers Essay

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The ecosystem I researched is the Himalayas glaciers. Being the world's highest mountain chain, the Himalayas is characterized by its great height, complex geologic structure, snowcapped peaks, large valley glaciers, deep river gorges, and rich vegetation. The higher regions of the Himalayas are snowbound throughout the year in spite of their proximity to the tropics, and they form the sources for several large perennial rivers. Thousands of species of flora and fauna thrive in the region, each adapting to its climatic conditions, predators and other challenges unique to one's habitat. In the glacier regions, coniferous, sub-alpine, and alpine forests spring up. They are followed by scrublands which lead up to the permanent snowline. Examples of the fauna that are present in the glacier regions of the Himalayas include the snow leopard, musk deer, and grey or Tibetan wolf. The glaciers in the Himalayas are in danger of melting due to the higher temperatures resulting from global warming. As we all know, the warming of earth is caused mainly by industrial powers such as America, and less by under developed countries such as Nepal. This is largely due to high CO2 emissions in our atmosphere which have resulted in rising temperatures across the world and partially due to brown haze air pollution. So, in effect, due to no fault of its own, and to fault of America, Nepal’s Himalayas will eventually melt and disintegrate. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declares that “Glaciers in the Himalaya are receding faster than in any other part of the world” and that “If the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps warming at the current rate.” There are many effects that can rise from the melting of the glaciers that can potentially harm species such as humans. For

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