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Climbers are melting Everest’s glacier with their urine, study warns (www.the-independent.com)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world
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[–] 6 points 2 months ago (4 children)

I do no math, isn't this about a lower freezing point for water due to the extra chemicals?

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  • [–] 11 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    I believe that effect would be even less noticeable.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Well, i thought a little about it (30s). On the common trails they all use and pee on, say the extra stuff gets trapped under the layers, adds some slush along the way. As they trop all over it back and forth, is there a chance it starts jiggling and sliding?

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

    quick math tells me that if we include urea (0.85M) and salt (0.71M) then freezing point of urine should be about -4.2C, in close to worst case scenario, which decreases roughly linearly as it is diluted. meaning that this is temperature where urine starts freezing, but below that point there is some amount of liquid where all urea and salt concentrates. just for water-salt mix some amount of liquid will remain down to -22C

    i guess this gets more important at higher tempetatures

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