Glaciers Are Disappearing at an Unprecedented Rate

Climate change is behind this disaster, of course. But it is not just the heat of the summer, with waves of record temperatures in many parts of Europe: the previous winter’s snowfall was low, which did not provide sufficient cover to protect the ice masses from the Sun’s radiation. This was compounded by an influx of Saharan dust in the spring that painted the snowy mountain slopes an unusual orange colour, which reduced the reflection of the Sun’s energy, causing an increase in snowmelt.