"Even Urine Melted the Glacier": Everest Climbers Melted 2,500 Tons of Ice in One Season

From LPG, Kerosene, Gasoline—Even the Heat from Urine
Researchers Say “The Current Base Camp Is Not Sustainable”

A study has found that the activities of climbers and tourists visiting Everest can melt about 2,500 tons of glacier and snow in a single season. Factors accelerating glacier melting include not only fossil fuels used for heating and cooking, but even the heat generated from the urine emitted by thousands of people.

An international research team, which included Chief Survey Officer Kim Lal Gautam of Nepal's land management authorities, recently published a paper titled "The Impact of Human Activity on the Khumbu Glacier: Towards a Sustainable Everest Base Camp" in the international journal Regional Environmental Change, reporting these findings.

A study has found that the activities of climbers and tourists searching for Everest can melt about 2,500 tons of glacier and snow in a single season. Factors accelerating glacier melting include not only fossil fuels used for heating and cooking but also the heat generated from the urine of thousands of people. AP Yonhap News

This study focused on the Khumbu Glacier, where the base camp for the Nepalese route to Everest is located. Situated at an altitude of about 5,300 meters, Everest Base Camp welcomes thousands of climbers, Sherpas, guides, and support staff from around the world during the spring climbing season every year. The appearance of the base camp, which was once little more than a primitive campground, has changed dramatically. Recently, cafes, high-speed internet, large TVs, and hot shower facilities have appeared; some tents are even equipped with heated floors. As living amenities for long-term climbers have increased, so too has the energy required to operate them.

According to an analysis of the approximately 50-day climbing season in the spring of 2023, the researchers found that operating around 1,600 tents at the base camp required 824 cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), 18,935 liters of kerosene, and 5,130 liters of gasoline. When combining the heat generated by fuel used for cooking, heating, and electricity production, as well as the thermal energy from climbers' urine, the total heat energy generated at the base camp amounted to 849,174 megajoules (MJ).

The researchers calculated that such an amount of heat could melt approximately 2,492 tons of glacier and snow. Notably, 'urine' is a significant factor. In high-altitude regions, climbers drink large amounts of water to prevent dehydration caused by the dry environment and moisture loss through respiration. As a result, it was estimated that over 6,000 liters of urine are discharged per day at the base camp during the climbing season.

While feces are collected in separate storage facilities and transported down the mountain, a considerable amount of urine is discharged directly onto the glacier. According to the researchers, the thermal energy from urine alone can melt about 154 tons of snow and ice in a single season. These changes in temperature around the base camp were also detected via satellite imagery.

An analysis of Landsat satellite data from 1991 to 2023 showed that the surface temperature at Everest Base Camp has risen at an annual average rate of 0.28 degrees Celsius. This is nearly twice as fast as the warming rate observed on the adjacent surface of the Khumbu Glacier. The study did not account for the heat from helicopter operations, climbers’ body heat, or the effects of pack animals such as yaks transporting goods. This suggests that the real impact of human activity at the base camp on the surrounding environment could be greater than what the researchers calculated.

Of course, the primary reason for the rapid melting of glaciers on Everest and throughout the Himalayas is global climate change. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) stated in a report published this year that the rate of glacier loss in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya region has nearly doubled since 2000 compared to previous years. Glaciers in this region are also a crucial source of water for roughly 2 billion people.

Glacier reduction is already leading to survival issues for Nepalese residents. In Tame, Solukhumbu, Nepal, located in the Everest region, a glacial lake burst in August 2024, causing a massive flood. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Glacier reduction is already leading to survival issues for Nepalese residents. In Tame, Solukhumbu, Nepal, located in the Everest region, a glacial lake burst in August 2024, causing a massive flood. Subsequent studies found that landslides and cascading glacial lake collapses amplified the flood's destruction. At the time, 25 houses were destroyed and 135 residents lost their homes, with damage traces extending for dozens of kilometers downstream. A recent study estimated the resulting economic loss to the region to be approximately 6.18 million dollars.

Recently, Nepal has experienced additional large-scale disasters caused by glacier and high-altitude terrain collapses. On the 26th, in the northern Rasuwa region of Nepal and near the border with Tibet, China, glacier and rock collapses triggered massive torrents and mudslides, sweeping away villages, roads, bridges, and hydropower facilities. On the 30th, Reuters, citing local authorities, reported that about 750 people have died and more than 3,000 are missing in Nepal. Since search operations are ongoing, the scale of the damage could increase further.

However, the recent Rasuwa region flood was a disaster geographically distant from Everest Base Camp on the Khumbu Glacier, and there is no direct link between human activity at the base camp and this particular flood. Further analysis is also required to clarify any specific causal relationship between individual glacier collapses and climate change. Meanwhile, as climate change rapidly transforms the environment of the Himalayas, calls are growing for the Everest climbing culture to adapt in ways that reduce its environmental burden.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.