A new study shows that Everest's snow is melting, likely due to global warming and climate change.

The survey of satellite imagery and weather data shows that glacial ice is in decline at Mount Everest.

Mount Everest is the world's highest peak...but climate change is effecting it and melting the glaciers at a rapid rate.

Mount Everest's frozen peak has melted by 13 per cent in the last 50 years.

The snow line has retreated rapidly, by 590 feet, causing rocks and debris previously covered by snow to emerge.

The new findings  on Everest were presented during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Cancun, Mexico.

Sudeep Thakuri, a University of Milan scientist who led the new study, says that the change was likely due to greenhouse gases changing the global climate.

While there is no firm connection, the glacial melt on Everest is similar to other patterns worldwide.

The survey was conducted by using  satellite imagery and topographic maps of both Mount Everest and the surrounding 713-square-mile Sagarmatha National Park.

Most of the glaciers are retreating at an increasing rate. Small glaciers are melting faster, shrinking about 43% in surface area since the 1960s.

Temperatures have also risen about 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1992 and precipitation has declined almost four inches.

This is crucial because Mount Everest is a critical water supply.

"The Himalayan glaciers and ice caps are considered a water tower for Asia since they store and supply water downstream during the dry season," said Thakuri. "Downstream populations are dependent on the melt water for agriculture, drinking and power production."

Some predictions hold that glaciers in the region will disappear altogether by 2035.

Other studies show a melt only one-tenth of the rate first reported.

Regardless, glaciers have been retreating over a 30-year period, and areas that depend on snow for agriculture are particularly vulnerable to rises in temperature.

What do you think of Mount Everest melting? Is it because of climate change? Sound off in the comments below!