Acquired on February 19, 2011, this natural-color image shows multicolored glacial lakes extending from Andean glaciers. The lakes extend primarily eastward across the high plain.
Like an avalanche, a glacial outpouring can scour the hillside, washing away whole villages. But the slow disappearance of glaciers is a threat more subtle, though just as damaging.
According to a joint press release issued by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, the great majority of the world’s glaciers appear to be declining at rates equal to or greater than long-established trends.