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Glaciers disappearing from Mt. Kilimanjaro
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A recent study has found that the glaciers on Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro - Africa's highest point - are shrinking.
The ice that topped Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2007 was 85 percent smaller than the one that covered it in 1912.
The mountain's rate of ice loss was about 1 percent a year from 1912 to 1953; that rate has increased to 2.5 percent a year from 1989 to 2007. Since 2000, the plateau's three remaining ice fields have shrunk by 26 percent. The northern and southern ice fields have thinned noticeably in recent years. The smaller Furtwangler Glacier shrank by about 50 percent between 2000 and 2009.
Less ice on the mountain top means more dark surface that's exposed, and that means higher temperatures.
Besides the ecological impact of the glacier loss, this will have a big economic impact on Tanzania, as tourism to Kilimanjaro to see the glaciers is a big part of the economy. It's estimated to bring in around $50 million dollars a year.
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