US EditionHeat Melts Alps Snow and Glaciers, Sparking Water Shortages
AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES, FRANCE, JUL 16 – Climate change is causing glaciers in the Alps to melt nearly twice as fast as the global average, leading to earlier snowmelt and threatening water supplies for mountain shelters, scientists say.
- A heatwave in June 2023 led to a rapid reduction of snow and ice in the French Alps near Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans, resulting in water shortages at mountain refuges.
- The Alps are experiencing the effects of climate change at nearly double the rate seen in other parts of the world, causing once-permanent snowfields to disappear during summer and leading to interruptions in local water supplies.
- Caretaker Noemie Dagan reported that the snowfield supplying water to the 60-bed Selle refuge dried up nearly a month earlier than usual, and the shelter lacked a water tank and depended entirely on mountain runoff.
- Environmental science PhD student Xavier Cailhol described the heatwave's effects as “brutal,” noting glaciers were bare even above 3,200 meters and powder snow was far drier than ever before.
- Such water shortages have increased and are likely to continue, suggesting future risks of shelter closures unless backup water sources are secured amid ongoing glacier retreat.
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NewScientist
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Grazing livestock and farming over the past 4000 years have rapidly accelerated the rate of soil loss in the Alps, jeopardising the ecosystem and putting the mountains at risk of further erosion
The loss of glaciers and the lack of water force eleven Valais communities to act.
Let us not let ourselves be deceived by the magnificent landscapes conveyed by the Tour de France: under the impact of warming, the Sea of Ice disappears.
Heat melts Alps snow and glaciers, triggering water shortage
June's heatwave has caused French Alps snow and glaciers to melt faster, causing water shortages at mountain shelters just before the summer tourist hiking season gets into full swing. "Everything has dried up," said Noemie Dagan, who looks after the Selle refuge, located at an altitude of 2,673 meters (8,769 feet) in the Ecrins, a mountain range overtowered by two majestic peaks. The snowfield that usually supplies water to her 60-bed chalet al…
The Local - Fr
The LocalWater shortages in French Alps hit mountain lodges and hiking season
June's heatwave has caused French Alps snow and glaciers to melt faster, causing water shortages at mountain shelters just before the summer tourist hiking season gets into full swing.
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