In 50 years the alpine glaciers lost half of their surface

In 50 years the Alpine glaciers have lost more than a half of their surface. A measure of the alarming situation are the glaciers of the mountain range Dosdè-Piazzi, in Alta Valtellina, focus of a study started in 2007 by researchers at the Department of Earth Sciences of University of Milan.

From the data collected through the reading of aerial photos and ground surveys, it appears that “since the fifties, the area of the glaciers of Dosdè-Piazzi has decreased from 8 to 3 km²,” said Claudio Smiraglia, glaciologist at the university Milan: “In the nineties glaciers lost yearly about one meter, but in the last decade we have up to 1.5 meters.”

During 2012 a loss of 2.5 meters has been recorded, at an altitude of 2,700 meters. A more detailed picture of the situation may come from new Land Glacier Register produced by the University of Milan in collaboration with the EvK2Cnr Committee and with the patronage of the Italian Glaciological Committee, with the assistance of the Group Sanpellegrino.

Catasto dei ghiacciai italiani(29/11/2012)