The mountains of Papua, located on the world's second-largest island just north of Australia, have been home to what locals call 'eternal snow' for centuries. But now, nearly all of that snow is gone.
A century ago, the 300-kilometre (190-mile) stretch of the Sudirman Range was covered with snow and permanent ice on all four of its major peaks. Today, only small patches remain around Puncak Jaya, also known as Carstensz Pyramid. Glacier cover there has plummeted from approximately 1,900 hectares (4,700 acres) in the 19th century to about 16 hectares (40 acres) today—a loss of more than 99% within a human lifetime.
For many Papuans, the peaks are the epicentre of the spiritual universe. An activist described them as a Mecca or a Vatican, underscoring their cultural significance beyond their scientific value. Scientists have long studied the ice for insights into the Earth's climate history, but the rapid retreat now threatens to erase that archive.
The disappearance is attributed to rising global temperatures, and the remaining ice is expected to vanish entirely in the next year or two.