An international team that studied all the world's glaciers - around 2,20,000 in total - found that over the past two decades glaciers have rapidly lost thickness and mass. "The situation in the Himalayas is particularly worrying," explains lead author Romain Hugonnet, in a release. “During the dry season, glacial meltwater is an important source that feeds major waterways such as the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus rivers. Right now, this increased melting acts as a buffer for people living in the region, but if Himalayan glacier shrinkage keeps accelerating, populous countries like India and Bangladesh could face water or food shortages in a few decades."