Nepal, Sept. 25 -- The World Weather Attribution rapid review last week of climate models based on weather observations and existing geological research reinforced what scientists have long argued: climate change is altering the physical conditions of the mountains.

A combination of geological and hydrological processes in the cryosphere caused the Bhote Kosi-Trisuli disaster. A warmer atmosphere, shifting rainfall and snowfall patterns, glacier and snow loss, and permafrost degradation can affect slope stability and the movement of water and sediment.

These changes interact with geology and topography and increase the likelihood or magnitude of cascading hazards.

The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report in 2007 described the Himalaya as a s...