The tragedy of the Alps' disappearing glaciers
Many huts dot the landscape across the Alps. For more than two centuries, hikers and climbers have sought out these refuges as they’ve navigated the snowy, high elevations. But the mountain glaciers that have defined this region are melting, putting these huts, the entire culture of alpine hiking, and nearby towns and communities in danger. Avalanches, rockfalls, mudslides and flooding – brought on by a changing climate – are happening at a time when the Alps are more popular than ever. And the subject of an altered alpine habitat takes on additional importance amid the Winter Olympics in Italy.
On this topic the Smithsonian Magazine has interviewed Markus Stoffel and Megan Gambino. Markus Stoffel is a professor at the University of Geneva, his research focuses on how the climate is changing in high mountain environments and its impact on the stability of the mountains themselves. Basically, he studies the places he loves – their strengths and their vulnerabilities. Markus Stoffel explains that the warming climate is altering the landscape of the Alps. An obvious change is the glacier retreat : in the last 25 years, glaciers in the European Alps have lost 40 percent of their mass. Another huge change that can be observed more is the thawing of permafrost. Permafrost is the ice in the underground.
To learn more, you can read the interview published on February 12 in the Smithsonian Magazine.