Increased local tourism and toxic substances transported to glaciers from distant locales can contribute to high concentrations of human-sourced metal pollution in snow and streams around Mount Everest that is likely degrading the quality of water used by thousands of residents and climbers.

Heather Clifford made the discoveries in a study she conducted after taking part in the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition.

Clifford, a doctoral student in the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, is part of the international team seeking to better understand the effects of climate change on glaciers of the Hindu Kush-Himalaya that provide critical water resources to 1 billion people downstream. Click here to continue reading.