Scientists and monks perform last rites for a Himalayan glacier

Scientists and monks perform last rites for a Himalayan glacier

At a little over 5,000 metres above sea level, Buddhist monks, members of Nepal’s Langtang Valley community, and scientists gathered for an unusual ceremony. High in the Himalayas, just north of the capital Kathmandu, science and faith came together in honour of the Yala glacier, which is set to become the first in Nepal to be declared dead. It will join glaciers such as Okjökull in Iceland and Anderson in north-western continental US, both decl…