Meltdown For Himalayan Glacial Lake Imja

there's no more dramatic example of climate change on Lake Imja of glaciers in the Himalayas.

Imja glacial lake in the Himalayas are extensive

The lake has expanded since its inception in the 1960s some small ponds

It is a lake that should not exist. It is a lake that did not exist just 50 years ago. It is now so huge that it is a challenge for the team photo camera to capture the sky and somehow illustrate its enormity.

It is both spectacularly beautiful and, ultimately, terribly frightening.

Imja Lake did not exist in the 1960s when a photograph taken by the scientists showed only a few small ponds. Since then, however, its growth has been quite rapid.

The lake is over 5,000 meters above sea level. Located at the foot of the glacier Imja a short distance from Mount Everest and is the result of melting snow and ice.

Since 2001, the glacier is estimated to retire at 74 meters per year. The current volume of water stored in the lake is estimated at around 35.8m cubic meters.

The Himalayas have the largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar region. They are known as the "third pole". But scientists say glaciers have been melting at an unprecedented rate.

Imja Glacier, located on the Nepali side of the mountain, is melting faster.

The team from the sky took eight days to trek from Lukla at the foot of the glacier. We knew what was in store for us and yet we still view breathless.

The lake is a popular spot for climbers and hikers. It is near the Everest base camp - and that is the fate that tends to attract tourists and mountaineers hardened.

Imja Lake is not the only glacial lake well. It's just one of the largest and one of the lakes identified by scientists as being most at risk of flooding that swelled every year.

There are at least 20 others in Nepal, the only ones that are considered potentially dangerous.

Scientists believe it's only a matter of time before the lake bursts, inundating hundreds of villages in the valley down below.