Switzerland Glaciers Shrink 10%

Switzerland Glaciers have lost a tenth in their volume in the past five years. The melting is the largest in the last 5 years of observation. The Cryospheric commission at the Swiss Academy of Sciences published the annual study on the state of glaciers. According to the study, around 20 glaciers have shown melt rates that have reached record levels

Highlights of the study

• In April and May the snow cover in the glacier was 20% to 40% higher than usual and reached depths of 6 meters.
• In late June and July, the volume of snow and ice that melted was equal to the country’s total annual consumption of drinking water
• Though the snow cover is higher, the ice that is lost has increased voluptuously. In the last 12 months Switzerland has lost 2% of total glacier volume despite of increased snowing.
• The rate of melting has also increased by 10% in the last 5 years

About Swiss Glaciers

There are more than 500 glaciers in the country. There are campaigns and awareness programs being conducted all over the country about the fast melting of the glaciers. Recently, “Funeral March” was undertaken to mark the disappearance of Pizol Glacier in the beginning of 21^st century.

More than 4,000 glaciers are to disappear from the Alps at the end of this century if green house gas emissions are not controlled

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2019