The local glaciers start the summer with very little snow. During regular measurements of the glaciers in the Hohe Tauern, the Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) recorded one of the lowest snow depths in recent years. The decisive factor for the melting rate of the glaciers, however, is the weather in the summer.
“To calculate last winter’s mass increase, we determined the snow depth with probes at about 600 points on the glacier and dug snow shafts at a further seven positions to measure snow density and snow temperature,” explains glacier expert Anton Neureiter of ZAMG.
“The mass of water in the snow cover was then calculated from the measured snow heights and densities.”
The measurements this year did not show an encouraging picture: the average snow depth in the spring on the Goldbergkees was 330 centimeters (70 centimeters lower than the average of previous years). This corresponds to an increase in mass of 1355 kilograms per square meter, which was 20 percent lower than the average in recent years. The average snow depth on the Kleinfleisskees was 260 centimeters – 90 centimeters below average. This corresponded to a mass increase of 1028 kilograms per square meter (28 percent below the average).
But: “For the long-term development of the glaciers in Austria, the weather in summer is more important than in winter,” explains Neureiter. “What matters is whether the occasional cold air currents bring snow to the glaciers in the summer. A fresh, very white blanket of snow reflects nearly 100 percent of the sun’s rays and can protect the glacier from melting for up to a week. A glacier without fresh snow, on the other hand, is much darker, so it absorbs a lot of solar radiation and can lose up to half a meter of ice thickness in a week.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
