Science Story

02 December 2008 22:10 BST

Equatorial icecaps 'melting'

Long-term melting of glaciers situated in mountains in Africa's equatorial region has been identified by scientists from University College London (UCL).

Publishing their study in the Geophysical Research Letters online periodical, the researchers showed how glaciers in the Rwenzori Mountains, situated on the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Uganda, showed a "substantial reduction in glacial cover".

Satellite mapping and field surveys were compared with a decade-old previous survey of the region, resulting in the study's conclusion that the glaciers could disappear completely by 2030.

"Recession of these tropical glaciers sends an unambiguous message of a changing climate in this region of the tropics," said Dr Richard Taylor from UCL's department of Geography, who led the study.

"Considering the continent's negligible contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is a terrible irony that Africa, according to current predictions, will be most affected by climate change," he said.

Dr Taylor was forced to admit, however, that the study could not establish whether changes in precipitation or changes in temperature were ultimately responsible for the shrinking of the glaciers.

The study raised significant healthcare implications, suggesting that warmer temperatures would encourage the proliferation of mosquitoes, resulting in substantial increases in the number of cases of malaria in the region.

Existing scientific research reflecting the latest findings affecting the Rwenzori Mountains suggests that other African glaciers in the East African Highlands, including those on Kiilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, are being affected by the same rise in temperatures.