AlHijjah 23, 1435, Oct 17, 2014, SPA -- Climate change has shrunk Peruvian glaciers by 40 percent in the past 40 years and the melt-off has produced nearly 1,000 new high-altitude lakes since 1980, the government of Peru said Thursday. Nearly 90 percent of Peruvian glaciers are smaller than 1-squre-kilometer, putting them at greater risk of disappearing in coming years, the water authority in Peru said. The water authority said that 996 lakes have emerged in the Andes since 1980, bringing the new total to 8,355 lakes. Climate change is expected to diminish fresh water supplies in fast-growing Peru, though glacial melt-off could boost availability in some watersheds in the short-term, authorities said. Peru is home to 70 percent of the world's tropical glaciers, which are especially sensitive to warming temperatures.
