High in the Swiss Alps, the Rhone glacier is not only the source of the river that bears its name but also one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva. In the Ice Age, it would have filled the valley that is now home to the river. Though the glacier has been retreating since the Ice Age, the rate of its recession has started to alarm scientists and locals, who have even begun covering it with a blanket in the warmer months to stop melting.
While the increased rate of melting most certainly has to do with climate change, it can be hard to envision what it all looks like. That's probably why the internet was taken aback when Duncan Porter, a software developer from England, posted an image of him and his wife Helen standing in front of the glacier 15 years apart. When looked at side by side, the two photos—taken in August 2009 and August 2024—are astonishing.
In the 2009 image, the glacier's ice fills the background, but 15 years later, there is a body of water and patches of dirt where much of the glacier once stood. The difference took Porter by surprise.
“Not gonna lie, it made me cry,” he wrote.
To those in the know, the contrast isn't so shocking. According to official reports, Alpine glaciers have lost 60% of their volume since 1850. And in Switzerland, there has been a 10% loss of volume in just 2022 and 2023 alone. Luckily, 2024 saw a huge increase in snowfall, but given Porter's images, a lot of damage has already been done. Swiss glaciologist Matthias Huss posted a stunning GIF that demonstrates how the extra snowfall can still melt rapidly once high temperatures arrive.
Many of the climate change deniers who commented on Porter's post wrote that the glaciers have always been melting, using this as proof that nothing has changed. However, as other experts chimed in, it's not the melting that is the issue per se, but the rapid rate of melting that has caused concern.
Porter's post has garnered him a lot of attention, including some negativity, but he wrote that he's choosing to focus on the kind comments that he received and is encouraging others to take action to fight climate change.
These shocking images of the Rhone glacier in Switzerland, taken 15 years apart, show how it has changed due to warmer climates.
Fifteen years minus one day between these photos. Taken at the Rhone glacier in Switzerland today.
Not gonna lie, it made me cry. pic.twitter.com/Inz6uO1kum
— Duncan Porter (@misterduncan) August 4, 2024
Glacial melt is a huge concern, with Alpine glaciers losing 60% of their volume since 1850.
“Rhone Glacier” by Johann Heinrich Müller. c. 1870/80. (Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Though Swiss glaciers saw a 31% increase in snowfall this year, that hasn't slowed the glacial melting.
On Swiss #glaciers the days of plenty are over for this year: we started off with excellent conditions (much snow). But during the last weeks the tide has turned. Melt has kicked in, probably accelerated by abundant Saharan dust on snow surfaces. Partly 3m of snowmelt in a month! pic.twitter.com/dyjKucsvLA
— Matthias Huss (@matthias_huss) July 29, 2024
1 month of #glacier melt at Silvrettagletscher – from winter conditions to ice loss with light speed @VAW_glaciology @glamos_ch @WSL_research pic.twitter.com/jXkHZKy5GX
— Matthias Huss (@matthias_huss) August 8, 2024
h/t: [The Guardian]
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