NEPAL Everest Base Camp -- 16 Apr 2005 -- The massive ice fall which dominates this image is part of the upper Khumbu Glacier.

NEPAL Everest Base Camp -- 16 Apr 2005 -- The massive ice fall which dominates this image is part of the upper Khumbu Glacier. Like on many of the world's glaciers, here on the main Khumbu Glacier, extensive melting is evident. Everest Base Camp is visible in the lower centre-left of this image, as is the Lo La Pass (NW Col, upper centre right) and the Changtse Peak (Bel Peak) in neighbouring Tibet (centre right). This geography forms the West Ridge of Mount Everest. Scientists have warned that rising temperatures from global warming may cause the demise of these Himalayan ice falls and glaciers - some already melting fast. The effects of this are likely to affect many Asian nations, as these glaciers - and those in neighbouring Tibet - feed most of the large river systems from Pakistan to China. Widespread flooding has began and is expected to continue. In the 2004 Monsoon, some 30 million people in Nepal, India and Bangladesh were affected by serious flooding. Scientists add that after the glaciers have melted, their departure will lead to widespread drought across many areas of Asia. Glaciers are melting all over the world, here in the high Himalaya, on average, glaciers are receeding by around 15m + per year, a statistic which increases as the temperature rises