"It means there is more light penetrating through the ice - that depends to a high degree on the snow cover but once it has melted the light can get through, " Dr Gerland said.

BBC: Arctic ice melting at 'amazing' speed, scientists find

But far worse, it melted at high temperatures and became brittle at low ones.

FORBES: Pioneers Die Broke

Before the 1960s Imja was a glacier, but a recent temperature increase in the Himalayan region melted it into a substantial lake, which glistens under the shadow of the awe-inspiring Everest range.

BBC: Long-distance swimming in Nepal��s glacial mountain lakes

Most loggers harvest when the land is frozen, but a run of mild winters has melted the logging roads and made it impossible to harvest the wood without scarring the land which, in turn, gives environmentalists more cause for complaint.

ECONOMIST: The logging industry