"First Time in 100 Years" Melting Glaciers' 'Warning'... Popular Alpine Trails Also 'Stop'

Swiss Jungfrau Exploration Restricted for About 100 Years
Insufficient Winter Snowfall Also a Cause

On the 30th of last month (local time), white tarps were covering the Rhone Glacier in the Valais region of the Swiss Alps to reflect sunlight and prevent ice loss. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Park] As glaciers rapidly melt due to abnormal high temperatures, popular hiking trails in the Alps are being closed one after another. This is because the increased risk of landslides and avalanches makes it impossible to guarantee the safety of hikers.

On the 31st, the British daily The Guardian reported that due to the abnormal high temperatures continuing since May, glaciers in Europe are melting rapidly, leading to the closure of some popular hiking routes on the Alps' most famous peaks, the Matterhorn (4,478m) and Mont Blanc (4,809m).

Additionally, the insufficient snowfall last winter is accelerating the glacier melting. White snow reflects a significant portion of sunlight, providing a "cooling effect" to the glaciers and replenishing the ice. There is also analysis that sand and dust from the Sahara Desert, scattered in the atmosphere by updrafts, have mixed with the snow. When impurities mix with the snow, it absorbs more sunlight than pure white snow, increasing the likelihood of faster melting.

Ezio Malier, president of the Guide Association of the Aosta Valley in Italy, lamented, "The routes most loved by tourists have been cut off. After the COVID-19 lockdowns, this is another blow. We have spent almost two years empty-handed, and now we have to stop work again, which is frustrating." Pierre Meisi, president of the Swiss Mountain Guide Association, also expressed distress, saying, "This is happening much earlier than usual. Normally, access is restricted starting in August, but restrictions began at the end of June and have continued into July."

Swiss guides at Jungfrau (4,158m) have also been advising tourists against climbing since last week. According to The Guardian, this is the first time in nearly 100 years that guides have blocked ascents of Jungfrau.

Experts warn that melting glaciers increase danger. When glaciers are frozen, they firmly hold rocky mountain terrain in place, but as glaciers melt and meltwater flows extensively beneath them, the glacier's movement accelerates, increasing the risk of landslides and avalanches. Mayline Zachmart, a professor at ETH Zurich who studies glacier and mountain hazards, explained, "The more meltwater there is, the more complex the situation becomes, and the greater the risk."

In fact, on the 3rd, at the summit of Marmolada (3,343m), the highest peak of the Dolomites in northern Italy, a chunk of glacier and rock fell, burying climbers. According to the BBC, at least six people died and 19 went missing in this accident. Authorities stated that the heatwave continuing since late June may have caused the glacier to break off.

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