In News:

Mount Kenya, Africa’s second-highest peak after Kilimanjaro, is witnessing a dramatic loss of its glacial cover due to accelerating climate change. Scientists warn that the mountain may become completely ice-free by 2030.

Key Findings:

• The Lewis Glacier, once one of the most prominent ice bodies on Mount Kenya, has experienced substantial shrinkage.
• A 2011 study by the University of Innsbruck (Austria) reported a 90% volume loss in Lewis Glacier between 1934 and 2010.
• A 2023 satellite analysis revealed that only 4.2% of the ice present in 1900 remains today.

About Mount Kenya:

• Location: Central Kenya, just south of the Equator.
• Elevation:5,199 meters (17,058 feet) at its highest peak, Batian.
• Geological Nature: An extinct stratovolcano, heavily eroded over millennia.
• Glaciers: Includes Lewis Glacier and Tyndall Glacier, among the last surviving tropical glaciers in Africa.
• UNESCO Status: Declared a World Heritage Site in 1997 for its ecological and cultural value.