Northern Ice Field, Ice field near summit in Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
The Northern Ice Field is a sheet of ice located on the western slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro near the summit. The frozen mass covers a substantial area and is visibly split into two distinct sections that have drifted apart.
In 1912 scientists recorded this ice field as part of a much larger connected mass of ice on the mountain. Over the following decades the ice separated and diminished into its current split form.
Research teams extract ice core samples from the Northern Ice Field to study climate patterns spanning over 11,500 years of Earth's temperature variations.
The ice field is only accessible to climbers who reach the summit, requiring significant physical conditioning and altitude acclimatization. Visitors should bring heavy insulation and protective gear as the conditions at this height are extremely cold and windy.
The ice field melts at a rapid pace, losing roughly two meters of thickness annually and exposing rock formations that had been hidden for many thousands of years. This swift retreat reveals the effects of climate shifts happening in real time on one of the world's most recognized mountains.
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