The solution to the Himalayan paradox could be hidden in the winds, the strange phenomenon whereby, despite the rapid melting of the ice, temperatures at high altitudes do not seem to vary. A possible solution to this unpredictable reaction has been found by research led by Francesca Pellicciotti, of the National Research Council and the Austrian Institute of Science and Technology, published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
A large part of the Himalayan glaciers are melting due to the climate crisis, in many cases even much more rapidly than what happens in other regions, yet by analyzing the data arriving from meteorological stations such as the historic Pyramid International Laboratory-Observatory which is located at 5000 meters indicate that the air temperature has not had major changes in recent decades. A phenomenon that apparently cannot be reconciled with what really happens in the area. An in-depth study of historical data has now found an answer, which highlights that overall average temperatures appear stable because while minimum temperatures are constantly increasing, maximum surface temperatures in summer have constantly decreased.
“This leads to an increase in turbulent heat exchange at the surface of the glacier and a greater cooling of the surface air mass,” Pellicciotti said. As a result, cool, dry surface air masses become denser and flow down slopes into valleys, also cooling the lower parts of glaciers. The observation, therefore, of stable temperatures is actually a sort of illusion due to particular winds which cause the air temperature to be stable on average.
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