A new study revealed that the heat generated by human activities during one climbing season can melt about 2,500 tons of ice and snow. This process is contributed to not only by fuel burned for cooking, heating tents, or generating electricity, but even by tourists’ urine reaching the glacier.
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An international group of scientists studied the Khumbu Glacier in Nepal, where the southern Everest base camp is located at an altitude of 5,364 meters. The study results were published in the scientific journal “Regional Environmental Change,” reports the portal “Jauns.lv.”
Scientists emphasized that the main cause of Everest glacier melting remains global climate change. However, human activity on the surface of the melting glacier causes additional local impact.
Energy enough to fill an Olympic pool
In spring, thousands of climbers, mountain guides, and support staff gather at the base camp. In the 2023 season, there were about 1,600 tents here.
About 824 liquefied petroleum gas cylinders, 18,935 liters of kerosene, and 5,130 liters of gasoline were consumed in the camp over approximately 50 days. Fuel is needed for cooking, heating tents, and generating electricity.
Calculating the heat released by this activity, researchers found that about 849,000 megajoules of thermal energy could be generated in the camp during the season.
This amount of energy would be enough to melt approximately 2,492 tons of ice and snow. Considering possible calculation errors, this amount could range from 1,964 to 3,020 tons.
Melting 2,500 tons of ice and snow would produce as much water as fits in one Olympic swimming pool.
More than 6,000 liters of urine per day
One of the most unexpected sources of heat identified by scientists was the urine of climbers and base camp workers.
At high altitudes, people need to drink a lot of fluids to avoid dehydration. It is estimated that more than 6,000 liters of urine can be produced daily at the base camp.
Solid human waste is collected in special containers and removed from the mountain. However, a significant portion of urine ends up directly on the glacier.
According to researchers’ calculations, the heat transferred by urine alone during one season could melt about 154 tons of ice and snow.
However, this does not mean that climbers’ urine is the main cause of Everest glacier melting. In the overall heat balance caused by human activity, a much larger share is from fuel used for heating the camp, cooking food, and generating electricity.
The real impact may be even greater
Satellite data also show significant temperature changes in the Everest base camp area.
Analyzing “Landsat” satellite images taken from 1991 to 2023, scientists found that the surface temperature of the base camp increased on average by 0.28 degrees Celsius per year. This is about twice as fast an increase as in the adjacent part of the Khumbu Glacier.
The study authors believe that the real impact of human activity may be greater because not all heat related to helicopter flights and yaks used for transporting supplies was included in the calculations.
According to scientists, the current base camp operation model may become unsustainable over time. One proposed solution is to move the camp from the glacier to a more stable land surface.
Such plans were announced by Nepal as early as 2022. It was considered to move the base camp 200–400 meters lower because the current location is becoming increasingly unsafe due to the rapidly melting Khumbu Glacier.
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