London, July 10 (IBNS) Glaciers located in the Karakoram Range between northern Pakistan and western China are not shrinking due to global warming and have even grown slightly in recent years, said French glaciologists in a study.
The study stated glaciers at Diran and Rakaposhi peaks in the Karakoram Range have remained unaffected by global warming and climate change.
Etienne Berthier, glaciologist at the Universite de Toulouse in France and co-author of the study said: "The results show that we need to be careful as glaciologists when we are extrapolating measurements made on a few small glaciers."
Studying a 5,615 sq km section of the Karakoram Range of northern Pakistan and western China, the glaciologists found an increase in ice thickness of 0.11 (plus or minus 0.22) metres of water equivalent (w.e.) per year between 1999 and 2008.
The Karakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit–Baltistan (Pakistan), Ladakh (India), and Xinjiang region, (China).
It is one of the Greater Ranges of Asia, a part of the greater Himalaya while north of the actual Himalaya Range.
The Karakoram is home to the highest concentration of peaks over eight kilometres (five miles) in height to be found anywhere on earth, including K2, the second highest peak of the world (8,611 m/28,251 ft). K2 is just 237 m (778 ft) lower than the 8,848 m (29,029 ft) tall Mount Everest.
The range is about 500 km (311 mi) in length, and is the most heavily glaciated part of the world outside the polar regions.
The Siachen Glacier at 70 km and the Biafo Glacier at 63 km rank as the world's second and third longest glaciers outside the polar regions.
The Karakoram is bounded on the northeast by the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and on the north by the Pamir Mountains.
The southern boundary of the Karakoram is formed, west to east, by the Gilgit, Indus, and Shyok Rivers, which separate the range from the northwestern end of the Himalaya range proper as these rivers converge southwestward towards the plains of Pakistan.
