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Schwarzmilchfer, a small glacier in the Austrian Alps, has lost its status as a glacier after an unusually warm summer. According to a report from the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the glacier’s thickness has fallen by more than four metres over several hot months, and its volume has been cut almost in half. Glaciologist Christoph Mayer of the Bavarian Academy said the glacier is expected to disappear entirely by the next summer. He and his colleagues have monitored Schwarzmilchfer for 26 years, noting that it was the last glacier in the Austrian section of the Allgäu Alps. Significant mass loss began in 2016, and the rate accelerated from 2022 onward. “Since then it became clear that the glacier days are counted,” Mayer said. The glacier’s defining features are not only the presence of ice but also its movement. Schwarzmilchfer no longer moves, losing a key characteristic of a glacier. It sits at about 2,450 metres above sea level, close to the Austria‑Germany border. Mayer noted that the disappearance of small alpine glaciers is not unique. “Even if winter brings heavy snowfall, the ice masses shrink quickly. Summer becomes too hot for them,” he explained, describing the trend as practically irreversible. He warned that if current trends continue, the Eastern Alps could lose all glaciers between 2060 and 2070. Article source: News.am | Image credit: News.am
Schwarzmilchfer, a small glacier in the Austrian Alps, has lost its status as a glacier after an unusually warm summer. According to a report from the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, the glacier’s thickness has fallen by more than four metres over several hot months, and its volume has been cut almost in half. Glaciologist Christoph Mayer of the Bavarian Academy said the glacier is expected to disappear entirely by the next summer. He and his colleagues have monitored Schwarzmilchfer for 26 years, noting that it was the last glacier in the Austrian section of the Allgäu Alps. Significant mass loss began in 2016, and the rate accelerated from 2022 onward. “Since then it became clear that the glacier days are counted,” Mayer said. The glacier’s defining features are not only the presence of ice but also its movement. Schwarzmilchfer no longer moves, losing a key characteristic of a glacier. It sits at about 2,450 metres above sea level, close to the Austria‑Germany border. Mayer noted that the disappearance of small alpine glaciers is not unique. “Even if winter brings heavy snowfall, the ice masses shrink quickly. Summer becomes too hot for them,” he explained, describing the trend as practically irreversible. He warned that if current trends continue, the Eastern Alps could lose all glaciers between 2060 and 2070.
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