France’s tallest mountain, Mont Blanc, has lost more than two meters in height over the past two years, researchers reported Thursday, measuring the alpine peak at 4,805.59 meters.
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The 2.22 meter drop could be due to decreased rainfall during the summer, according to Jean des Garets, chief geometer of the Haute-Savoie department in southeastern France.
“Mont Blanc could be much higher in two years,” he added.
The mountain’s rocky peak measures 4,792 meters above sea level, but its thick layer of ice and snow varies in height from year to year depending on wind and weather.
Researchers have been measuring it every two years since 2001, hoping to gather information on the impact of climate change on the Alps.
But “we are collecting the data for future generations, we are not here to interpret it, we leave that to the scientists,” des Garets said.
People should not use height measurement “to say anything,” he urged.
About 20 people climbed the mountain in mid-September to take measurements over several days, divided into eight groups equipped with high-tech tools and, for the first time, a drone.
“We have learned a lot from these measurement campaigns: we know that the summit constantly changes altitude and position, with changes of up to five meters,” said des Garets.
*With AFP; adapted from its English original
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