In 2021, the ice masses retreated “only” by 11 meters, Süddeutsche Zeitung writes with reference to the DPA agency.
According to the ÖAV, the lack of fresh snow, a long and very warm period of melting and also the deposition of dust from the Sahara led to a significant decrease in glaciers last year.
E.g. Austria’s largest Pasterze glacier in the federal state of Carinthia lost 14.7 million cubic meters of ice in its lower part last year. The Austrian station ORF also drew attention to it.
| At just over eight kilometers long, the Pasterze is the largest glacier in Austria and the longest in the Eastern Alps. It is located at the foot of the Großglockner in the highest part of the Mölltal valley and is the source of the river Möll. |
Due to climate change, according to experts, the Austrian Alps will be ice-free by 2075 at the latest.
It can even lead to drought
ÖAV Vice President Ingrid Hayek also pointed out that the global melting of glaciers contributes not only to sea level rise, floods and mudslides.
“The lack of natural water reservoirs in the mountains leads to regional drought as a further consequence,” pointed out Hayek.
By 2050, large glaciers will melt, including those in the Dolomites, UNESCO claims
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