How quickly the Earth is warming is nowhere more visible than in the Alps. In the Swiss part, at least 6% of the glaciers will disappear by 2022, and another 4% this year.
This is clear from the report of the Swiss Academy of Sciences. “We have lost as much ice in the last two years as we did between 1960 and 1990,” said lead researcher Matthias Haas.
“The last two years have been extreme and have led to the collapse of glaciers and the disappearance of many smaller glaciers. As a result, we have had to stop measurements of the Sint Annaverne glacier.
Last year was a record year for glaciers to melt. This year is the second worst year. Even above 3,200 metres, the glaciers continued to melt by several metres. “This is usually the altitude at which glaciers are in equilibrium and are not losing ice.”
Dry, warm winters combined with warm summers are the basis of the glacier crisis. Snowfall is much less than usual. In February, snow depth reached a record low of 30 percent of the long-term average.
“It returned to normal briefly in the spring, but an exceptionally dry and warm June meant the snow melted two to four weeks earlier than usual,” Haas says. “The third-warmest summer on record and a record high frost line through September were responsible for the extremely rapid melting of summer snow.”
You may be wondering how long it will take for glaciers to disappear completely. According to simulations, things are not looking good. Even if the temperature does not rise further, 30 to 40 percent of the ice will melt. In the worst case, only 5% of all Alpine glaciers will remain.
sources): HLN