A new study conducted by researchers from Aberystwyth University in Aberystwyth, Wales along with the European Union-funded ‘CHANGE’ project, has found that as much as 92% of glaciers in the mountain ranges that make up the Alps could be lost by the end of the century due to climate change.
The mountain range’s 4,000 glaciers are home to a number of popular ski resorts, including the Hintertux Glacier in Austria, Klein Matterhorn in Zermatt, and La Grand Motte Glacier in Tignes, France. The findings suggest the glaciers keeping these iconic ski resorts in business will be all but lost in the next century. Not only will the people employed by these ski resorts be affected, but the entire Alpine eco-system could also be harmed as well.
The study focuses on the entire European Alps region and was based on 200 years of climate records and forecasting ranging from 1901 to 2100. Researchers used this data to create a model of the environmental Equilibrium Line altitude (ELA) of the different valleys across the alps. The ELA on glaciers indicates the altitude where the amount of snow and ice that accumulates is the same as the amount that melts or evaporates over a one-year period, according to the BBC.
By using the ELA model, researchers are able to make accurate predictions on how the glaciers will react to climate change, which they expect to be rapid and highly variable. The research indicates that by the end of this century, climate change will have caused the loss of up to 92% of Alpine glaciers.
‘Glaciers are the ”canary in the mine” for climate change – their retreat is so fast. If, as we expect, we see these patterns replicated on a global basis, the retreat of mountain glaciers will have significant implications for sea-level rise,’ said Prof Neil Glasser, project coordinator of the European Union-funded “Change” project, as reported by the BBC.
‘There will be bigger changes to come from climate change, but this dramatic disappearance of glaciers from the Alps is one of the most immediate and visible effects. One of the biggest impacts on the local population in the Alps is on water resources and the change in melt and run-off. That will have implications for drinking water, crops, irrigation, sanitation and hydropower.’ he added.
Researchers also found that by 2050, almost every glacier below the 3,500-metre mark will likely melt away, causing even more environmental damage.
Picture Pixabay
