The tragedy that this Sunday claimed the lives of at least six people took place in a privileged environment in danger due to the action of global warming
The tragedy has hit Italy this weekend when part of the Marmolada glacier, in the Alps, broke off. At least six people have lost their lives and another 17 are being searched for, after an avalanche of snow, ice and rocks that fell from the glacier reached a rope of climbers trying to reach the top.
La Marmolada is the largest glacier in the Dolomites mountain chain, located between the Trento and Veneto regions, very famous among lovers of climbing, skiing and cycling. This massif is made up of a series of summits. The highest are Punta Penia (3,343 m), Punta Rocca (3,309 m), Punta Ombretta (3,230 m), Monte Serauta (3,069 m) and Pizzo Serauta (3,035 m). La Marmolada is the last great glacier left in the mountain range. The tragedy occurred in the vicinity of Punta Rocca.
It is estimated that the Marmolada glacier will disappear in 25 or 30 years, according to the National Research Council (CNR) of Italy. According to a study coordinated by the Institute of Marine Sciences of the CNR, the glacier has lost 30% of its volume and 22% of its extension between 2004 and 2015. The governor of Veneto, Luca Zaia, identified the cause of the tragedy with global warming. “In the Marmolada the temperature record produced by climate change has been reached,” he said on Twitter. Last Saturday a record temperature of 10 degrees was reached at the summit.
The footage of the large ice avalanche in Marmolada today in close proximity.
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Indeed an impressive sequence pic.twitter.com/zDo4q40qOP
Alpine-Adriatic Meteorological Society (@aametsoc) July 3, 2022
‘Cemetery of Champions’
The situation is worrying, especially considering that this mountain range is a very common destination for lovers of various sports, attracting thousands of visitors. For example, skiing. La Marmolada is part of the Dolomiti Superski, the largest ski resort in the world with more than 1,200 km of slopes. It also offers very good routes for cross-country skiing and other disciplines, such as snowboarding, snowshoeing…
It is also a privileged destination for climbing. The characteristic white rock towers of the Dolomites rise into the sky like strange rock formations. The area of the Val Gardena Dolomites is famous, one of the most beautiful sport climbing areas in the world.
However, if the Marmolada is famous for something, it is for the stage of the Giro d’Italia. It is not for nothing that it is called the ‘cemetery of champions’. Without going any further, in the last edition of the Italian race, La Marmolada, penultimate stage, erected as executioner. The Australian Jai Hindley snatched the pink jersey from Carapaz in this tough ascent and left the Giro seen for sentence. The victory in that stage was taken by Alessandro Covi.
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