Scientists investigate Ecuador's receding glaciers

(BBC)

Ever since the German explorer Alexander Von Humboldt visited Ecuador in 1802, foreign visitors have been drawn to its majestic volcanoes with delightful-sounding names like Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and Cayambe.

As alpine glaciers around the world retreat, the link to global warming becomes clearer. Average air temperatures at the Ecuadorian glaciers have increase 0.6 degrees Celsius since 1939. That's a lot of heat for an ice sheet. The reliance of humans, and natural systems, on these water supplies simply cannot be overstated.