Glaciers in Karakoram have grown since 1999

(Image: Kelly Cheng Travel Photography/Getty Images)

In one corner of the world, there is more ice today than there was 10 years ago. New satellite data shows that the glaciers in the Karakoram have grown slightly over the last decade, bucking the global trend. We don't know why it has happened - but it's important to keep it in perspective.

The Karakoram is a large Asian mountain range next to the Himalayas. It includes K2, the second tallest mountain in the world. While the Karakoram is home to many of the world's glaciers, there is little data on their behaviour because it is so remote.

Now Julie Gardelle of the University of Grenoble in France and colleagues have used satellite data to build two pictures of the Karakoram's glaciers, from 1999 and 2008. That tells us how they have changed.

Gardelle found that the glaciers grew slightly, adding an extra layer of ice that equates to an 11-centimetre thickness of water every year. By taking up this extra water, the glaciers prevented about 0.01 millimetres of sea level rise per year.