The 1921 photograph taken by George Mallory of the Rongbuk Glacier and the northern slope of Mount Everest in the distance, Tibet Autonomous Region. Photo: AFP / GETTY IMAGES The 2007 photograph taken by David Breashears of the Rongbuk Glacier taken from the same place as Mallory's 1921 photograph Photo: AFP / GETTY IMAGES

By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
Published: 12:42PM BST 18 Jul 2010 The two pictures show an “alarming” retreat in ice over more than 80 years. The first was taken in 1921 by British mountaineer George Mallory, who later died trying to conquer Everest. The Asia Society commissioned the same picture to be taken of the main Rongbuk glacier on the northern slope of Mount Everest in Tibet in 2007. The new picture by mountaineer David Breashears show that the glacier is shrunk and withered. A spokesman for the Asia Society said the picture was proof the ice is melting because of climate change, threatening water sources in highly populated areas of India and China. “The photographs reveal a startling truth: the ice of the Himalaya is disappearing,” he said. “They reveal an alarming loss in ice mass.” Mr Breashears retraced the steps of the 1921 British Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition Team, using photos taken then by surveyor and photographer Maj Edward Wheeler and amateur photographer George Mallory, who later died attempting to reach the Everest summit in 1924. The series of photos, on display at an exhibition in New York, show how changes in temperature could be affecting the wider environment. …

Photos show dramatic shrinking of Mount Everest glaciers