Karakoram Glacier 'Cold Case' Finally Solved

The Karakoram glacier anomaly, known as the "cold case" of the climate science world, has finally been solved.

While other glaciers have melted in the face of global warming and climate change, glaciers in the Karakoram mountains, a range within the Himalayas, have remained stable and even increased in size. This inexplicable phenomenon has puzzled scientists for years, but researchers from Princeton University have finally found the answer, and reported their explanation in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The key lies in a unique seasonal pattern that keeps the mountain range relatively cold and dry during the summer. While other Himalayan ranges and the Tibetan Plateau get most of their precipitation from Southeast Asia's summer monsoons, Karakoram's comes from Central Asia's cold winter winds. The Himalayan range blocks the warmer air from the southeast throughout the year. This explains why other glaciers nearby - and worldwide - have increasingly receded as Earth's climate has warmed while Karakoram stays strong and sturdy.

"Our work is an important piece to understanding the Karakoram anomaly," first author Sarah Kapnick said in a statement. "But that balance of what's coming off the glacier versus what's coming in also matters for understanding how the glacier will change in the future."

According to the study, snowfall, which is critical to maintaining glacier mass, will remain stable and even increase in magnitude at elevations above 4,500 meters (14,764 feet) in the Karakoram through at least 2100. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the Himalayas and Tibet, where snowfall will decline due to climate change.

Not only is this good news for the Karakoram glacier, but it's also good for the hundreds of millions of people that depend on it for water. Himalayan glaciers provide freshwater to a densely populated area that includes China, Pakistan and India, and are the source of the Ganges and Indus rivers, two of the world's major waterways.