Question

in this excerpt, carol rasmussen, a member of nasas science earth news team, reports on scientists who are studying the water resources of the worlds third pole—the region where the mountain ranges of asia are located. (1) himalaya. karakoram. hindu kush. the names of asias high mountain ranges conjure up adventure to those living far away, but for more than a billion people, these are the names of their most reliable water source. (2) snow and glaciers in these mountains contain the largest volume of freshwater outside of earths polar ice sheets, leading hydrologists to nickname this region the third pole. one - seventh of the worlds population depends on rivers flowing from these mountains for water to drink and to irrigate crops. (3) rapid changes in the regions climate, however, are affecting glacier melt and snowmelt. people in the region are already modifying their land - use practices in response to the changing water supply, and the regions ecology is transforming. future changes are likely to influence food and water security in india, pakistan, china and other nations. (4) nasa is keeping a space - based eye on changes like read the passage. select the correct answer. what is the central idea of the passage? a. satellites enable scientists to study snow and ice melt patterns on asias high mountain ranges to better understand how this significant water resource should be managed as the climate changes. b. the third pole is the nickname given to the worlds third largest freshwater source and growing destination for adventurers. c. dust, soot, and pollution are all factors that influence climate change which could result in another ice age. d. the high mountain asia team studies weather, climate, hazards, and impacts of climate change and shares this data with other weather teams across the globe. reset next

Explanation:

The passage focuses on how climate - related changes like glacier melt and snowmelt in Asia's high mountain ranges (the "Third Pole") are affecting water resources, and how NASA is monitoring these changes. The main idea is about the impact of climate changes on water resources in this region.

Answer:

C. Climate changes.