The glaciers in the Alps play an important role in Europe’s water supply. But because they continue to melt, the continent is getting closer and closer to the “peak water” moment.
Munich – Europe is slipping its future away. Because the 5,000 or so glaciers in the Alps are melting and melting and melting. Which could become a major problem for the water supply, especially since three quarters of freshwater reserves consist of snow and ice. The continent is heading inexorably towards the “peak water” moment.
Last year, for example, the “southern Schneeferner” on the Zugspitze lost its status as a glacier, leaving Bavaria with only four specimens left: the northern Schneeferner, the Höllentalferner, the Blaueis and the Watzmanngletscher. And that’s not all: Like Andreas Bauder from the ETH in Zurich Focus Online revealed the largest losses since observations began more than 100 years ago.
“Last year, 6.2 percent of the remaining ice was lost, which corresponds to 3.2 cubic kilometers,” the glaciologist summarizes the dramatic development and concludes succinctly: “2022 was a bad year for the glaciers.” He refers to this that the Alpine glaciers not only supply hydroelectric power plants, but also the Rhine, the Rhone, the Danube and the Po.
Alps and the danger of glaciers: “Maximum water output reached in ten to 20 years”
The only question is how much longer. In the report, Bettina Schaefli, a hydrologist at the University of Bern, explains that the glaciers provide a lot of water in summer. Large consumers would currently benefit from this. But the tipping point is not so far away: “In ten or 20 years, most glaciers will have reached their maximum water output and then it will decrease.”
The “peak water” moment, “when the glaciers still have a certain volume, but lose a lot of water every summer and the net flow is therefore greatest”. According to Schaefli, small glaciers then threaten to disappear completely, while the large ones become scarce: “The Aletsch Glacier, for example, will retreat to a height at which it can survive, but will no longer provide net water.”
Water supply from the Alpine glaciers: will the liquid soon run out in Europe?
As a result, there will be more threats in the future Pictures like last summer in the Rhine. In some places it shrank to a small trickle – a catastrophe for flora, fauna and shipping. Schaefli does point out that glacial water alone does not make the large rivers navigable – snow melt water also plays a role here.
But even that option dwindles when the snowfall decreases in winter. “Like the glaciers, the snow cover also works like a reservoir,” explains the expert: “In addition, there is less water loss through evaporation in places where there is snow and glaciers.”
Video: Researchers fear that almost half of all glaciers will be lost
Glacier before the end? “Lifelines for skiing and hiking tourism”
It is true that Europe can also supply itself with the natural liquid away from the glaciers, after all the Alpine countries are able to create lakes or reservoirs as an alternative. But Schaefli fears that tourism could suffer because of the retreat of the glaciers: “For some communities, the glaciers are lifelines when it comes to skiing and hiking tourism.”
At the same time, natural disasters would become more realistic. Bauder cites as examples “ice masses that break down, which in combination with snow avalanches have a greater range and threaten valleys, settlements and traffic routes”.
Alps as “Europe’s drinking water castle”: Most of the glaciers could disappear
According to recent studies, experts assume that by the year 2100 two thirds of the Alpine glaciers would be history – even if the 1.5 degree target of the Paris climate agreement from 2015 were to be met. If the latter fails, 90 percent of the glaciers could melt by then. With devastating consequences.
The Union for Nature Conservation speaks of the Alps as “Europe’s drinking water palace”. Ice and glaciers in the entire mountain region would have a volume of around 100 cubic kilometers of water, plus double the amount in the Alpine lakes. Munich also gets its drinking water from the foothills of the Alps. (mg)
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