One of the Dolomites' most
famous and iconic glaciers will totally disappear in 25-30 years
unless climate change is halted, the National Research Council
(CNR) said Wednesday.
In the decade between 2004 and 2015, the CNR said, the
Marmolada Glacier shrank by 30% in volume and 22% in area.
The report, based on two 3-D models, was drawn up by the
CNR-Ismar lab and the universities of Trieste, Genoa and
Aberystwith in Wales, as well as by the environmental agency
(ARPA) of Veneto, where the glacier is located.
The study was published in the Remote Sensing of the
Environment journal.
"Even if the temperature were to remain what is is, the
glaciers' fate appears to be sealed," said the report.
Some parts of the study were released early, in August.
Renato Colucci, a CNR glaciologist, sounded the alarm about
the impact the climate crisis is having on the Alps' glaciers.
"Over the last 100 years, the glaciers of the Alps have lost
50% of their mass," Colucci told ANSA.
"Of this 50%, 70% has disappeared over the last 30 years.
"The Alpine glaciers are shrinking at a rate that is
unprecedented for thousands of years.
"The glaciers of the Alps under (an altitude) of 3,500 metres
are set to disappear in 20 to 30 years.
"The average temperatures of the last 15 years do not allow
those under this level to survive.
"Core samples taken on glaciers in Greenland and the
Antarctic tells us that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
increased 100 times more quickly over the last century than at
any other period in the last 800,000 years.
"And the responsibility for it can be down to mankind".
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