In the measurement year 2021/2022, the local glaciers retreated more than ever. The East Tyrolean Schlatenkees has the negative record in Austria with minus 89.5 meters.
The Austrian Alpine Club’s volunteer glacier survey team surveyed about 90 “ice giants” in twelve Austrian mountain groups. The dramatic conclusion: In the glacier budget year between October 2021 and September 2022 there was a record melting, all glaciers retreated and also lost significant area and volume.
Too hot, too little rain
“The decisive factors were above-average temperatures in combination with significantly less precipitation than the long-term climate average,” Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer, together with Gerhard Lieb, head of the measurement team, explained at a press conference. Saharan dust has also accelerated the decline through stronger absorption of radiation. By the second half of July 2022, most glaciers had snowed over half of their area.
The average retreat of the 78 measured glaciers is 28.7 meters – that is 2.6 times greater than the value of the previous year. But that’s not all: even the previous maximum value from 2016/2017 was exceeded by 3.5 metres!
consequence of climate change
“This year’s largest contraction since the Alpine Club measurement series began 132 years ago clearly demonstrates the impacts of climate change, which has been greatly intensified by humans,” says Lieb. Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer, on the other hand, emphasizes that the negative influence of our way of life on the climate and thus on the retreat of the glaciers can be proven.
Austria will be free of glaciers in 2075
In all of Austria, the Schlatenkees lost the most in the East Tyrolean Venice group with 89.5 meters. A total of eight Tyrolean glaciers are in the top ten of the negative hit list – including the Diemferner in the Ötztal Alps (84.3 metres, third place) and the Gepatschferner (also in the Ötztal Alps, 78 metres). The prognosis for 2022/2023 is also not favorable from this year’s perspective.
In the long term, according to the experts, the local Alps will be almost completely free of glaciers anyway. It is likely that by 2075 the last ice downstream will have melted.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
