Heat and drought accelerate their decline. Areas where eternal snow usually reigns are left bare.
“Under the Montenvers, the glacier has lost seven meters in thickness since May 22announces Luc Moreau, glaciologist in Chamonix. This week, it is particularly intense, I measured a melting of about 15 cm per day. Nearly a meter of the Mer de Glace disappeared in one week!
Often perceived as a haven of summer freshness, mountain regions actually combine an environment that is particularly sensitive to global warming, which is faster than in other environments. The retreat of the glaciers is a consequence. But this summer of 2022, which combines heat and drought, accelerates the process, and could weigh more heavily on the future of the French high mountains.
Read alsoGlobal warming: concern in the high mountains before the end of summer
“Since 2015, only two summers have not been scorchingrecalls from Chamonix Ludovic Ravanel, geomorphologist who directs the joint research unit Edytem (University of Savoie Mont-Blanc, CNRS). But 2022 is undoubtedly the worst year, because the hot weather started early: thermally the month of May has…
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