Effects of human activity on Khumbu Glacier: Towards a sustainable Everest Base Camp

Khim Lal Gautam; Virginia Burkett; George Xian; Mahesh Thapa; Anish Dahal; Sudeep Thakuri

doi:10.1007/s10113-026-02641-8

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Effects of human activity on Khumbu Glacier: Towards a sustainable Everest Base Camp

Khim Lal Gautam·Virginia Burkett·George Xian·Mahesh Thapa·Anish Dahal·Sudeep Thakuri

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Abstract

The Everest Base Camp (EBC), a critical staging area for mountaineers attempting to summit Mount Everest, has seen a significant increase in human activity over the past few decades. The increasing number of climbers, trekkers, and support staff, particularly at the campsite area, has intensified environmental impacts on the Khumbu Glacier. This study investigates the effects of human activity at EBC, focusing on three contributors to glacier melt: global climate change, local fossil fuel consumption, and human urinary discharge. Through field data collected during the spring 2023 climbing season, this study examines the energy released through the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), kerosene, and petrol for cooking, heating, and electricity, as well as the heat generated by human urinary discharge. The total heat energy released from these activities at EBC in the spring of 2023 was 849,174 ± 179,774 MJ, which would be sufficient to melt 2492 ± 528 tons of glacier ice and snow. Trends in land surface temperature at EBC and adjacent environments during the 1991–2023 period were calculated from Landsat 5, 7, and 9 satellite data. The 32-year Landsat record reveals that EBC surface temperature increased by 0.28 °C year −1 , which was roughly twice the rate of warming at the surface of Khumbu Glacier adjacent to EBC and about 15% higher than the temperature increase of the debris-covered terrain immediately to the north of EBC. The findings suggest that addressing these anthropogenic influences could help to preserve the Khumbu Glacier and support the sustainability of mountaineering in the region. This paper also takes a transformative approach and explores stable and safer locations in case there is a necessity to relocate the current EBC. Two sites have been identified southwest of the existing EBC, which, unlike the current supraglacial site, are situated on stable ground.

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Regional Environmental Change Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 27.973563133873924° to 28.01166770919791° latitude; 86.83572263148778° to 86.88794700834654° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Khim Lal Gautam, Virginia Burkett, George Xian, Mahesh Thapa, Anish Dahal, Sudeep Thakuri. 2026-07-27. Effects of human activity on Khumbu Glacier: Towards a sustainable Everest Base Camp. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-026-02641-8

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