Alpine change being felt on the ground

There have been several worrying reports from the Alps in recent times. A new study has found that French Alpine glaciers have lost a quarter of their area in the last 40 years. There have been signs of retreat in other areas of the Alps, but this study by the University of Savoie assessed 600 glaciers and is particularly detailed.

The study used aerial photography, satellite data and historical archives to come to their conclusions. Although the area has shrunk by about a quarter, volume of ice is likely to have decreased by significantly more and studies are now under way to more closely monitor glacier health across the Alps.

Last week also saw the first snow of the season in much of the Alps, which has occurred much later than usual for the region. The late onset of winter weather has played havoc with the ski industry, which relies on considerable snowfall to create suitable ski slopes. To prove how poor the snowfall has been, a World Cup ski event has had to be moved elsewhere as a result of the poor skiing conditions in the region.

This has been expected for some time, with studies several years ago showing a steady drop off of snowfall in the Alps over a period of 30 years. The threat to the Alpine industries is huge, and future years like this could lose the region a large amount of trade. There is also a large threat to various alpine species of plants and animals; mountain ecosystems are effectively islands, and have nowhere to go when their habitats begin to change.