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The Karakoram mountain range is one of the most remote and difficult to study in High Mountain Asia, located in the center and southeast of the continent. This mountainous cluster, home to the summit of K2 at an altitude of 8,611 meters, still has very little data on the chemical composition of the accumulated snow, which can retain information about substances such as pollutants present in the atmosphere.

In this context, a new study by BC3 published in the Journal of Glaciology sheds some light and provides the first chemical analysis of snow accumulated on the Godwin-Austen glacier, located at the foot of K2 and frequently visited by sports expeditions. The results show that even in this very remote location, there is pollution from human activity.

“We found a combination of natural inputs, mainly mineral dust from nearby arid regions, and signals associated with human activities, some transported from densely populated and industrialized areas of South Asia. In addition, we found evidence that processes such as wind, sublimation, or partial melting can alter the original chemical signal of the snowpack,” highlights Nicolás González-Santacruz, BC3 researcher and lead author of the study.

The primary challenge of the study was reaching the site and working at nearly 5,000 meters altitude in a very remote high-mountain environment during a winter expedition between 2018 and 2019. The research team excavated two snow pits down to the glacier ice to collect samples every few centimeters, applying strict protocols to prevent contamination.

Following the fieldwork came the laboratory phase, in which the major dissolved ions and selected trace elements in the snow were analysed. The results were combined with meteorological data and reconstructions of air mass trajectories in the days prior to reaching the glacier. This made it possible to link the components found in the snow to potential source regions and atmospheric transport pathways.

Although the work does not directly assess health or water quality impacts, it provides a necessary baseline for future studies on atmospheric pollution, substance transport, and potential environmental impacts in Asian high-mountain regions.

“The snow accumulated in these mountains is part of a fundamental hydrological system for the Indus River basin. When the snow melts, the substances it contains can be mobilized along with the water and enter downstream ecosystems,” adds Nicolás González-Santacruz.

The research led by BC3 involved collaboration with the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), UPV/EHU, and Ikerbasque, as well as funding from the Government of Spain and the Basque Government.