The Alarming Disappearance of Ice in the Italian Alps

According to scientists, it is now possible to see with the naked eye the changes taking place with the ice cover of the Alps in Italy.

Alarming Statistics

According to the Italian news agency ANSA, based on data from the environmental department of Greenpeace Italy and scientists from the Italian Committee of Glaciology (CGI), 80 percent of the ice in the Italian Alps could disappear by 2060, leading to new droughts.

First Expedition Findings

Experts have completed the first expedition to the Forni Valley glacier in the Stelvoe National Park. And it became clear to them that “as a result of melting, it is losing more than 50 percent of its thickness compared to 2022, and by 2060 it may disappear completely. Only during the days of August 21-24, this ice lost 37 cm of thickness, which is higher than the previous average daily rate, which today is 6 cm.

Visible Changes to the Naked Eye

According to scientists, these variables are visible to the naked eye: since the middle of the 19th century, the Forni ice has lost about 10 square kilometers, or half of its area, and the ice front has retreated 400 meters in less than 10 years.

Implications for Water Supply

A source at the Italian Commission for Glaciology says: “Forecasts based on our climate scenarios show that up to 80 percent of the ice area in the Italian Alps will disappear by 2060, which will have a significant impact on the amount of melt water. This means that without this ice through In 30-40 years we will face more severe droughts in this valley.”

Upcoming Expedition

The second expedition is planned to start at the end of August to the Mig Glacier in the Aosta Valley.

Source: TASS