Live Science reports that a record-setting study found that Mount Everest's highest-altitude glacier is losing ice about 80 times faster than it took to form.
Scientists monitored the South Col Glacier, which stands at almost 26,000 feet above sea level, for signs of climate-related ice loss.
The team's report was published on February 3 in the journal 'NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science.'
According to the study, ice that took 2,000 years to form has completely melted away since the 1990s.
Currently, the data suggests that the glacier is losing several decades worth of ice accumulation each year.
"[This study] answers one of the big questions posed by our [expedition] — whether the highest glaciers on the planet are impacted by human-source climate change." Paul Mayewski, study co-author, glaciologist and director of the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute, via Live Science.
"The answer is a resounding yes, and very significantly since the late 1990s." Paul Mayewski, study co-author, glaciologist and director of the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute, via Live Science.
According to the study's authors, the rapid decline of the glacier could have major impacts on the mountain and the surrounding area.
The glacier's swift melting could lead to more avalanches on Everest and make terrain more treacherous for climbers by exposing more bedrock.
According to Live Science, the South Col glacier's position at the very top of the world suggests that no ice mass on Earth is safe from climate change.
Experts urge future research to focus on how widespread these melting trends are among other glaciers at the top of the world.