Climate change impacts on the glaciers of the Rwenzori Mountains
Are the Glaciers becoming wetlands?
Rwenzori's glaciers are in massive retreat, receding tens of meters each year.
A century ago they covered nearly 6.5 km2 of the mountains.
Now less than 1 km2 remains.
If the trend continues these glaciers will disappear within the next 2 decades.
However, recent research has indicated that these fabled equatorial icecaps will disappear within 20 years, because of global warming.
In a paper published in May 2006 in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers reported their results from the first survey in a decade of glaciers in the Rwenzori Mountains of East Africa.
They concluded that an increase in air temperature over the last 4 decades has contributed to a substantial reduction in glacial cover (without significant changes in precipitation/snowfall).
Their estimates say that the area covered by glaciers shrank by half between 1987 and 2003 alone.
The Albertine Ecoregion Programme at WWF's East Africa office has been documenting the melting of the Rwenzori glaciers.
On February 18th the WWF Albertine team and members of local NGOs undertook a new expedition to assess the current state of the glaciers on Mount Stanley.
They took pictures of the glaciers on both sides of the border and will compare these to similar pictures taken in 1906, 1958 and 1992.
Below are the pictures for Margherita and Alexandra Peaks.
You can also see new, never-before-seen pictures of the situation on the Congolese side of the mountains...
On February 18th the WWF Albertine team and members of local NGOs undertook a new expedition to assess the current state of the glaciers on Mount Stanley.
They took pictures of the glaciers on both sides of the border and will compare these to similar pictures taken in 1906, 1958 and 1992.
Below are the pictures for Margherita and Alexandra Peaks.
You can also see new, never-before-seen pictures of the situation on the Congolese side of the mountains...
Snow and ice is draped on and over the peaks of Alexandra (left, 5,090m) and Margherita (right, 5,108m) on Mount Stanley in June 1906. Rwenzori mountains.
© Vittorio Sella
© Vittorio Sella
Some rock is now beginning to show through the ice fields on Mount Stanley in June 1958. Rwenzori mountains. Alexandra (left, 5,090m) and Margherita (right, 5,108m) peaks.
© Henry Osmaston
© Henry Osmaston
The bare rock of Alexandra (left) and Margherita (right) peaks are now showing through. There is no snow and ice left covering them. April 1992. Rwenzori mountains.
© Randy Willard
© Randy Willard
Considering the continent's negligible contribution to global greenhouse-gas emissions, it is a terrible irony that Africa, according to current predictions, will be most affected by climate change.
Richard Taylor, University College London
