Alpine glaciers: another tragic summer, an unprecedented melting

Last summer the… Swiss glacier experienced a new drastic reduction in their volumewhich makes the devastating effects even clearer Climate change.

After a two-year period in which ice declined by over 10%, this year saw a loss of 2.5%.

Experts of the Swiss Academy of Sciencesspecialized in cryosphere observation,⁤ attributed this phenomenon to the high temperature temperatures recorded in July and August, as well as the heat absorption by the yellow-reddish ones Sahara dust were deposited on the glaciers and increased ice melt. By June, climatic conditions were considered “extremely favorable,” with snow cover 30% higher than the seasonal average and glaciers temporarily receiving additional protection. However, rising summer temperatures accelerated melting. August marked the largest ice loss ever recorded since measurements began.

The Academy of Sciences ‍ confirmed that the summer melt was unprecedented and even exceeded the critical levels of previous years. ⁢⁢ The withdrawal of the Glacier tongues continues unabated, with total loss exceeding the average for the last ten years.‍ The Glacier Monitoring Network, GLAMOSfound that more than half of the monitored glaciers completely lost their snow cover during the summer, making the situation worse.

The glaciers of Plain Morte, Gris,⁢ and Silvrettawhich is located at high altitude, showed significant melting, with losses of a meter or more in some areas. Experts from GLAMOS identified three main factors responsible for this rapid melting: the very high Average temperatures during the summer months, the absence of snowfall in the critical months and the transport of Sahara dust by southwesterly winds in winter and spring.

This dust, deposited on the glaciers, increased heat absorption and accelerated the ice melting process. Switzerlandwhich hosts the most glaciers among European countries, witnessed the “disappearance” of 4% its glacier volume just last year, which marked the second-largest decline in a single year after the 6% Decline recorded in 2022.

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