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The (Former) Snows of Kilimanjaro
When I climbed -- first in 1986 and then again in 1993 -- there was a significant glacier atop the summit of Kilimajaro. At times, in fact, I was concerned about slipping off the ice right into the crater. Not so any longer. Only a small part of the summit is covered by icy glacial snows.In 2002, a study led by Ohio State University ice core paleoclimatologist predicted that ice on top of Africa's tallest peak would be gone between 2015 and 2020. In March 2005, it was reported that the peak was now almost bare, for the first time in 11,000 years. Earlier this year, several climbers were killed on the Western Branch route, as ice fell -- presumeably from the melting glacier. This is not just a local issue either. The loss of the Kilimanjaro ice fields will have significant climatological and hydrological implications for local populations who depend on water from the ice fields during the...
