Glacier Report Raises Alarm: Local Glaciers in "Massive Phase of Decay"

The glacier report of the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV) for 2023/2024 once again showed significant declines. The Sexegertenferner in the Ötztal Alps recorded the largest loss in the ranking with a retreat of 227.5 meters.

Domestic Glaciers Retreat Due to High Temperatures and Low Precipitation

In 2023/2024, an average retreat of 24.1 meters was measured, marking the "third largest retreat value" in the 134-year history of the glacier measurement service. This year was just behind the "record years" 2021/2022 with 28.7 meters and 2016/2017 with 25.2 meters. According to experts, this trend will continue: "In 40 to 50 years, most glaciers in Austria will be history," stated Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer, like Lieb, head of the Alpine Club's glacier measurement service and also responsible for the glacier report, at a press conference in Innsbruck. "All glaciers that still exist now are only living off the ice reserves that lie in the mountains," he described the situation.

The results were once again due to high temperatures combined with low precipitation in the "glacier budget year". Even though there was a lot of snow in the mountains in November 2023, this is no longer significant for the summer - and thus for the crucial period for the glaciers. "Looking at the whole year, it was a very bad year for the glaciers," summarized Kellerer-Pirklbauer. The affected year was also significantly too warm, with temperatures 1.9 degrees above normal. Moreover, the forecast for the current year was not promising. "Currently, it is terrible for the glaciers," said Kellerer-Pirklbauer, who researches at the Institute of Geography and Regional Science at the University of Graz, regarding the precipitation-poor February. The Saharan dust now moving into the country will settle in the mountains and promote glacier melt.

Strongest Declines Observed in Glaciers in Tyrol

The numerous volunteers of the Alpine Club observed 90 glaciers in Austria directly on the mountain - and not based on satellite images. "87 of them have become shorter," reported Lieb. The "Top 3" of the strongest glacier retreats were all located in the Ötztal Alps in Tyrol. Behind the Sexegertenferner, the Taschachferner ranked second with a retreat of 176 meters, followed by the Gepatschferner with a decrease of 104 meters. The state with the second strongest retreat was Upper Austria with the Hallstätter Glacier (-73.3), followed by Carinthia with the main tongue of the Pasterze (-66.6). The three glaciers that did not record a retreat were characterized by "random situations."

"We are seeing a complete change in the landscape," explained Kellerer-Pirklbauer regarding the consequences of the melt. Existing lakes, for example, are being enlarged. The one at the Pasterze now measures almost 50 hectares. The retreat of the glaciers also brings dangerous rockfalls with the thawing of permafrost ice. For Lieb, the change highlights the importance of natural areas and the ecosystems that prevail there. This goes hand in hand with the "obligation to designate protected areas," as stipulated in the Alpine Convention. The landscapes are indeed confronted with extreme usage pressure - especially from glacier ski areas.

No Further Expansion of Glacier Ski Areas Demanded

"It is really time not to further expand glacier ski areas," emphasized Nicole Slupetzky, Vice President of the ÖAV, the association's position. The pressure on the alpine region is enormous - even outside Austria. Now it is "about the overall climate," where "everyone can contribute." Politics must adhere to the "Green Deals" and thus "reduce CO2 emissions." "We must protect glacier forelands, these are retreat areas for many plants and animals," she also appealed for compliance with the Alpine Convention.

The year 2025 has been declared the "International Year for the Protection of Glaciers" by the United Nations (UN). This is intended, among other things, to draw attention to their importance for the provision of freshwater or drinking water. "In Austria, by the way, glaciers are not crucial for the drinking water supply," said Lieb. Mountains and groundwater are responsible for that. Just in time for the Glacier Year, the Alpine Club published a glacier monitor. On an interactive homepage, the change of individual glaciers can be observed. Some of the data goes back to the 19th century.

(APA/Red)

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