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IPCC apologises for Himalayan glacier melt error

hima.jpgPosted for Quirin Schiermeier

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has conceded an error when stating in its last report, released 2007, that Himalayan glaciers are likely to melt by 2035. The claim has been criticized by numerous glaciologists for being highly implausible (see Glacier estimate is on thin ice).

In a statement, released on 20 January, the IPCC apologises for the “poorly substantiated estimates of rate of recession and date for the Himalayan glaciers”.

The IPCC’s working group on impacts, of climate change had taken the date‚ 2035, from an un-refereed report from the conservation group WWF.

“In drafting the paragraph in question, the clear and well-established standards of evidence, required by the IPCC procedures were not applied properly,” the chair and vice-chairs of the IPCC, and the co-chairs of the IPCC Working Groups said in their joint statement.

The panel stresses the validity of its overall conclusion that glacier mass losses, including in the Himalayas, are likely to accelerate throughout the 21st century, reducing water availability in regions supplied by melt water from mountain glaciers and snow packs.

“This conclusion is robust, appropriate, and entirely consistent with the underlying science and the broader IPCC assessment,” it says.

Image: Glacier trails in the Ladokh and Zaskar Ranges of the Himalayas / NASA

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