The Great Aletsch Glacier, the Alps’s largest glacier, has a precarious future with the world’s increasing temperature but researchers working in Switzerland say that if warming can stay below two degrees Celsius then part of the glacier can still be preserved. A UN report stated that glaciers are melting faster than they ever have in history and are now losing mass at record levels which is alarming scientists.
The Aletsch Glacier which is 20 kilometers long and has a mass of 10 billion tons is a popular tourist destination but is at risk of disappearing entirely without climate mitigation. According to Swiss researchers, glaciers above 3,000 meters may survive longer thereby alleviating sea-level rise.
Switzerland is warming at two times the global average, the Swiss glaciers have already lost almost 40% of their volume since the year 2000. Scientists at (GLAMOS) Glacier Monitoring Switzerland call for immediate climate action to prevent additional loss. The world also celebrates its first World Day for Glaciers while undertaking one more major effort to preserve the Aletsch Glacier.
