Heat, scarce snow melting Alpine glaciers
Summary
Slovenia’s glaciers are shrinking rapidly as rising temperatures and reduced winter snow accelerate melt. The Triglav Glacier has disappeared, while the remaining Skuta glacier is thinning and losing ice irreversibly.
Key Points
- Slovenia has lost one of its two glaciers, and the remaining Skuta glacier is shrinking irreversibly.
- A hot, dry summer and scarce winter snow pushed the glaciers past a tipping point this year.
- Scientists say Skuta is following the same trajectory as the vanished Triglav Glacier.
- Monitoring records show the glacier’s ice has thinned dramatically over the past decades.
