The Flua glacier on Monte Rosa has disappeared

Where 80 hectares of ice once extended, today only rocks and debris remain.And soon the same fate could befall Adamello and Marmolada.

• The Flua glacier, located on the southern slope of Monte Rosa, the second highest massif in the Alps, has disappeared.
• Where once a glacial surface of around 80 hectares extended, today only rocks and debris remain.
• By 2050 the Adamello and Marmolada glaciers could also share the same fate.

The Flua glacier, located on the southern slope of Monte Rosa, the second highest massif in the Alps, has disappeared.Where once a glacial surface of approximately 80 hectares, equal to 112 football fields, today only rocks and debris remain.But the scope of the problem risks being much broader:the fate of the Flua glacier, now reduced to a few accumulations of late snow in spring 2024, is in fact a sad omen for many other Alpine glaciers located below 3,500 meters above sea level.In fact, by 2050, the Adamello and Marmolada glaciers could also share the same fate.

This bleak scenario has been documented by Glacier Caravan 2024, a national campaign by Legambiente in collaboration with Cipra Italy and the Italian glaciological committee, reached its third stop in Piedmont to closely observe the disastrous state of the Flua glacier.On the ground, ice is now just a distant memory;instead, debris and a long moraine cord dominate the landscape.In the void left by the glacier, new life forms – plants, insects and other species – are slowly colonizing the area, creating evolving ecosystems.

Not just the Flua glacier 

Even nearby glaciers, like the Piode glacier and the Sesia-Vigne, are undergoing a drastic regression. Since 1980, both have lost over 600 meters in length, with their ice front rising by more than 100 metres.The climate crisis and high temperatures are the main cause, threatening not only the lower glaciers, but also those located at higher altitudes.The increase in the freezing level reduces snow accumulation and accelerates the loss of glacial mass.Recent studies have shown that, in recent years, the ice is melting even at altitudes of around 3,500 metres above sea level, highlighting multi-centrimetric melting of the ice at such altitudes.

The situation is aggravated by the increase in extreme weather events, which are becoming increasingly frequent in Alpine regions.In the first seven months of 2024, 101 extreme events were recorded in the Alpine arc, compared to 87 in 2023 and 70 in 2022.The most affected regions are Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont.Also the Mount Rosa was affected by such events:on 29 and 30 June 2024, a violent rainfall hit the southern slope, causing landslides and significant damage to local infrastructure.The participants in the Glacier Caravan were able to see the devastating effects of this phenomenon and appreciate the restoration interventions that made access to the glacial areas possible.

Several experts have underlined the seriousness of the situation: Vanda Bonardo, national Alps manager of Legambiente and president of Cipra Italia, declared:“The Flua glacier presents us with a sad and terrible reality, the death of the glaciers which is getting ever closer.We must promote mitigation and adaptation policies and protect the new ecosystems that are forming due to melting glaciers." Marco Giardino, vice president of the Glaciological Committee and professor at the University of Turin, highlighted the cascading effects caused by the melting of glaciers and extreme meteorological events along the slopes of Monte Rosa, including debris landslides and cascades of ice blocks.“Scientific knowledge of high mountain environments – stated Giardino – allows us to increase awareness of climate change and face its effects with greater preparation.”

 

In the end, Giuseppe De Matteis, professor emeritus of the Polytechnic of Turin, recalled the importance of glaciers as a vital water reserve for cities and plains.“Their progressive regression must not go unnoticed.We are losing a vital resource,” De Matteis concluded in his testimony.Glacier Caravan 2024 continues its journey, bringing with it a message of alarm and the urgent need for action to preserve what remains of our precious glacial resources. After the stage in France, Valle D'Aosta and Piedmont, the Glacier Caravan will arrive in Lombardy from 28 to 31 August to monitor the health of the Fellaria glacier.Then it will move Friuli-Slovenia (31 August - 5 September) to monitor the glaciers of Julian Alps, and in Veneto (from 5-9 September) where the special observation will be the glacier of Marmolada.