Grass growing around Mt Everest

Grasses and shrubs have been found growing in increased numbers around Mount Everest and across the Himalayas as ice in the area continues to melt.

Scientists used satellite data to study the proliferation of subnival vegetation – plants which grow between the treeline and snowline – in the vast region.

By studying images taken by Nasa's Landsat satellites between 1993 and 2018, they found a small but significant increase in vegetation across four height brackets from 4,150 to 6,000m above sea level.

"A lot of research has been done on ice melting in the Himalayan region, including a study that showed how the rate of ice loss doubled between 2000 and 2016," said Dr Karen Anderson, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

"It's important to monitor and understand ice loss in major mountain systems, but subnival ecosystems cover a much larger area than permanent snow and ice and we know very little about them and how they moderate water supply."

While the study, published in Global Change Biology, did not examine the causes of the change, the researchers said their findings were consistent with modelling showing a decline in "temperature-limited areas" – where temperatures are too low for plants to grow – due to global warming.