Everest climbers' urine melts 154 tons of ice each season

Researchers calculated that the heat from about 6,000 liters of urine each day could melt roughly 154 tons of ice during the typical 50‑day spring climbing season.

According to research published on Aug. 29 in Regional Environmental Change – an international scientific journal based in Germany – most of the urine from climbers and guides is discharged directly onto the glaciers around Everest’s base camp.

During the spring season, thousands of climbers, guides and support staff set up around 1,600 tents at base camp, creating a temporary settlement with coffee stalls, high‑speed internet, hot showers and even large‑screen TVs.

Satellite data show the base‑camp area is warming faster than the surrounding Khumbu glacier, with surface temperatures rising an average of 0.28 °C per year between 1991 and 2023 – almost twice the glacier’s rate of increase.

Because the urine‑induced melt adds to the overall glacial loss, the researchers suggest relocating Everest’s base camp to a more stable, non‑glacial site in the near future.

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