According to a recent study published in the Journal Nature
Geoscience on 9 July 2012, Diran and Rakaposhi, two glaciers in the
Karakoram Range of northern Pakistan, remain unaffected of global
warming and contrary to the popular belief, grew slightly in recent
years. The study found that the glacier saw an increase in ice thickness
of 0.11 (plus or minus 0.22) metres of water equivalent per year
between 1999 and 2008.
The researchers had used spaceborne data to study a 5615 sq km
section of the Karakoram Range of northern Pakistan and western China.
The findings of the study are of great importance given the fact that
the entire Himalayan mountain range is estimated to lose about 0.4 to
0.8 metres ice per year.
Karakoram mountain range, which account for 3 percent of the total
ice-covered area in the world, is located across the border of Pakistan,
India and China. The mountain range is concentrated in Gilgit–Baltistan
in Pakistan, Ladakh in India, and Xinjiang region, in China. Part of
greater Himalaya it is one of the largest mountain range of the world.
K2 or Godwin Austen, the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount
Everest, is part of the Karakoram Range. The total elevation of K2 is
8611 m (28251 feet).
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