File:Mount Everest - Himalayas.jpg

English: This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 18 November, shows Mt. Everest in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas Mountains. Mount Everest, with its 8848 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l), is the highest mountain on the Earth. It has always been tought of as a remote and pristine site, but according to a new study from researchers at the University of Plymouth, microplastics were found in Everest’ snow and stream water samples, up to 8,440 m.a.s.l. Researchers explain that the major source of pollution are polyester, acrylic, nylon, and polypropylene (i.e. materials used by the climbers during the climbing) and suggest to focus on the development of new environmental solutions to avoid further development of this source of pollution which is so significant, that it has earned Mt. Everest the title of “the world's highest junkyard”. Snow cover and glaciers are an important driver of many ecological, climatic and hydrological processes in the Himalayas Region: both snow and glaciers can be monitored and mapped using the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites.