Swiss Alps Losing Their Glaciers

Switzerland's glaciers are melting at an alarming rate-- losing as much as one fifth of their mass between 1985 and 2000. Normally when glaciers are in the process of retreating, they lose about thirty centimeters a year. That amount has been steadily increasing, and in the year 2003, they lost three meters. Scientists are blaming this alarming loss on global warming, which is caused, in short, by the accumulation of certain gases in the atmosphere trapping heat.

The melting of these glaciers can have a profound impact upon both the economy and the physical lives of Swiss residents in the vicinity of the mountains. Much of Switzerland's tourism relies on the picturesque Alpine scenes, and ski resorts also count on the glaciers. Last year authorities were forced to shut down the Matterhorn peak during the height of tourist season because a large patch of ice that had served to hold the rocks together melted, causing an enormous rock slide. Because the mountains will have much more sheer rock surface area, there will be an increased amount of water flowing down, especially during the infamous storms, leading to an increased amount of flash floods that could endanger Swiss residents. Besides the obvious physical and economic danger to humans, the prospect of the receding glaciers could have disastrous impacts on the local ecosystems. The species of plants and animals that dwell on the slopes could disappear as a result of the melting; they rely on the trapped water the glacier provides.

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