Western Europe’s highest mountain in the French Alps has shrunk by two meters. Mont Blanc, now 4,805 meters high, was 4,807 meters high two years ago – that is two meters and 22 centimeters less than in 2021.
Since 2001, researchers have determined the height of the mountain every two years. They hope to obtain information about the effects of climate change on the Alps.
Less precipitation in summer
The decline could be due to lower rainfall in summer, said Haute-Savoie department chief inspector Jean des Garets.
If Mont Blanc is re-examined in two years, it could be “much bigger,” he added in Chamonix on Thursday. The researchers collected the data “for future generations,” Des Garets said. “We are not here to interpret them, we leave that to the scientists.”
The height of the snow cover varies
Equipped with the most modern measuring equipment and, for the first time, even with a drone, the researchers climbed the mountain in September to measure it point by point over several days. The rocky peak of the mountain is 4,792 meters above sea level, while the height of the thick layer of snow and ice varies from year to year, depending on the weather.
So far, they’ve learned that the summit is “constantly changing in height and position,” said Garet’s lead researcher. Swings of up to five meters are not unusual.
Source: Krone
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