Mount Everest and Co.
These natural wonders are constantly changing
Mount Everest is 86 centimeters higher than previously thought.
© Vixit / Shutterstock.com
Mount Everest is 86 centimeters higher than previously thought. But there are more places in the world that are changing.
Up to now, 8,848 meters was the official height of Mount Everest. But now the highest mountain in the world got another 86 centimeters, as announced by the government of Nepal. Experts from China and Nepal, on the border of which the mountain is located, worked together to measure Mount Everest again. The previous altitude value came from Indian researchers from the 1950s. In fact, the mountain grows a few millimeters every year. The reason: The Indian continental plate is slowly pushing itself under the Eurasian, causing the mountains to pile up further. But Mount Everest is not the only place in the world that is constantly changing.
The desert grows
The Sahara is located in northwestern Africa and is the largest dry desert in the world. Today it covers over nine million square kilometers. An area around 26 times the size of Germany. But it doesn't stop there: According to a study from 2018, the Sahara has expanded by ten percent since the 1920s. This spread is known as desertification. Almost a third of the earth's land area consists of deserts – and all of them are growing. As the Federal Agency for Civic Education indicates, more than 50,000 square kilometers of desert area are added every year.
The reason for the spread is on the one hand climate change, on the other hand human behavior. Deforestation, excessive agriculture and soil overuse all contribute to dehydration. There are already initiatives in some countries to stop the desert. From Senegal in western Africa to Djibouti in the east, an 8,000 kilometer long strip of forest is being created to stop the Sahara. So far, 21 countries have been involved in the "Great Green Wall" project.
The sinking city
While Mount Everest is getting higher and higher, the Indonesian capital Jakarta on the island of Java is sinking. Around 40 percent of the metropolis is already below sea level. Some parts of the city, for example the coastal district in the north, sink up to 25 centimeters annually. Sea water has to be pumped out of the city on a regular basis, because the dykes sink with it.
The sagging is caused, among other things, by illegal wells that around half of all residents use. The groundwater is sucked out of the sandy subsoil in an uncontrolled manner. The result: it collapses. In 2019, the government announced that it would move the capital to the Indonesian island of Borneo. The move to the new city should begin in 2024.
The disappearing lake
People have made pilgrimages to the Dead Sea for centuries. One reason for this are the minerals in the water, which have healing effects on skin diseases such as neurodermatitis. The approximately 900 square kilometer salt lake borders Jordan, Israel and the West Bank and is 428 meters below sea level. With an average salt content of around 28 percent, it is considered a natural wonder. For comparison: the Mediterranean has a salt content of 3.8 percent.
Unfortunately, a problem has been emerging for years: the water level is falling. This is due to the numerous settlements along the Jordan. The Dead Sea's main tributary does not bring enough water to supply them all. Climate change and rising temperatures also mean that more water is evaporating.