"Alps Glacier Melts Most in 60 Years"...Heatwave Hits Alpine Mountain Villages

Swiss Meteorological Office: "Freezing Level Altitude Rises to 5184m... Highest in 27 Years"

The Swiss Meteorological Office announced that the freezing level altitude has risen to 5184 meters for the first time in 27 years.
Photo by Swiss Meteorological Office Twitter capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] As Europe suffers from extreme heatwaves, an analysis has revealed that the glaciers in the Swiss Alps are also melting at a rapid pace.

On the 26th (local time), according to major foreign media, Swiss glaciologist Andreas Linsbauer stated that the Alps glaciers are melting the most in 60 years.

By comparing the amount of snow that falls in winter with the amount of glacier melt in summer, the extent of glacier melting in a given year is calculated, and this year, an unusually large amount of glacier melt was measured. The Swiss alpine village of Zermatt in the Alps has already experienced two heatwaves close to 30 degrees Celsius in July alone.

The media diagnosed that the Alps are melting rapidly due to the impact of climate change. Citing the 2019 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it was analyzed that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, more than 80% of the Alps glaciers could disappear by 2100.

A comparison of the perennial snow in high mountain areas from last summer and this summer, released by the Swiss Meteorological Office. Photo by Swiss Meteorological Office Twitter capture.

Earlier, MeteoSwiss, the Swiss meteorological agency, announced on Twitter on the 25th that the freezing level altitude in the Alps rose to 5184 meters, marking the highest in 27 years. This is more than 70 meters higher than the previous record of 5117 meters observed on July 20, 1997. MeteoSwiss explained, "It is unusual for the freezing level to rise above 5000 meters," adding, "Climate change has created this record."

The rise in freezing level altitude means that the height at which temperatures can remain below zero degrees Celsius has increased. The problem is that as the freezing level rises, the habitats of wild animals and plants shrink, threatening their survival. The Guardian pointed out that cold-environment wildlife species must move to higher altitudes to survive, and eventually, they may lose their habitats altogether.

Meanwhile, as the Alps glaciers melt, incidents and accidents continue to occur. Earlier this month, a chunk of glacier broke off from Mount Marmolada in northeastern Italy and struck hikers. Mount Marmolada is the highest peak of the Dolomites, a subrange of the Alps, reaching 3343 meters in height. AFP reported that the accident occurred just one day after the summit of Mount Marmolada recorded a record high temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, suggesting that the heatwave may have been the cause of the tragedy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.