Key Highlights
- Yala Glacier has shed 66 % of its mass and receded 784 m since the 1970s, marking a 9‑trillion‑tonne era of global glacial loss.
- A memorial plaque with messages in English, Nepali, and Tibetan was unveiled on 12 May 2025 by ICIMOD, scientists, and local monks.
- Attendance included more than 50 international participants, underlining the glacier’s role as an essential training and research hub.
- Yala is only the third glacier worldwide to be formally memorialised, following Iceland’s OK Glacier and Mexico’s Ayoloco Glacier.
Detailed Insights
The declaration of Yala Glacier as "dead" is not a ceremonial act alone; it reflects a stark acceleration in Himalayan glacial retreat driven by rising CO₂ concentrations, now at 426 ppm, and a persistent decline in snow cover that has been below normal for three consecutive years.
Since 1975, Himalayan glaciers have lost approximately 9 trillion tonnes of ice, a trend mirrored across the world’s mountain ranges. Yala, formerly a core site for more than 100 glaciologists, provided in‑situ data that helped map the hydro‑climatic evolution of the region. Its loss threatens water security for downstream basins, particularly the Ganga, which already suffers a 24.1 % decrease in snow persistence – the lowest value in 23 years.
ICIMOD’s coordination of the funeral underscores the glacier’s strategic importance for climate monitoring and the broader socio‑economic reliance on the HKH water cycle.
Key Concepts
- Glacial Mass Balance – The net change in ice mass over a period, influenced by accumulation versus ablation.
- Cryosphere Monitoring – Systematic observation of snow, glaciers, and ice sheets to assess climate feedbacks.
- Hydroclimatic Vulnerability – The susceptibility of water resources to climatic shifts, crucial for South Asian basin management.
- Memorial Glacier – A glacier formally recognized and commemorated, signaling its loss to the global climate record.