Mountains around the world are gradually losing their snow

SEVERAL mountain ranges around the world are experiencing a drastic drop in snowfall due to climate change. A new study conducted in the Italian Alps estimates the loss of snow cover in these mountains at 5.6% per decade between 1971 and 2019, which is equivalent to 36 days less snow cover annually.

Winter sports enthusiasts have no doubt noticed that snow is becoming increasingly rare, even at high altitudes. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of studies warning of the loss of snow cover on mountain peaks. The latest study, conducted in Italy and published in the journal Nature, estimates, for example, that in one part of the Alps, the loss of snow cover between 1971 and 2019 amounts to 5.6% per decade.

According to the same study, the average seasonal snow depth (November-May) has decreased by 8.4% over the last 50 years. Currently, the duration of current snow cover is 36 days less than the long-term average, which represents an "unprecedented reduction of snowpack duration over the last six centuries," the study notes.

The results highlight "the urgent need to develop adaptation strategies and start thinking about a reform of some of the most sensitive socio-economic sectors" in this "region where the economy and culture revolve, to a large extent, around winter," the authors of the work conclude.

This isn't the first study to demonstrate the decline in snow cover on mountain peaks around the world. A study published in 2020 showed, among other things, that in 78% of the world's mountain areas, snowfall decreased between 2000 and 2018, with an August 2022 study extending the findings through 2020.

On a time scale, this would be equivalent to an average of 15 fewer days of snow cover in a year since the 1980s, estimates the study, which was conducted in mountainous regions of North America, Europe and Eurasia.

Another study published at the end of 2022 and carried out in one of Switzerland's largest ski areas also examined whether there will still be snow in the month of December in the coming decades. The verdict: snowmaking could guarantee a 100-day ski season until the end of the century, at least in the higher parts of the resort (i.e., from 1,800 meters above sea level).

But given the current climate scenario, the production of artificial snow is not a viable long-term solution. In addition to being criticized for the astronomical quantities of water it requires, this technique requires specific meteorological conditions in order to work well. It must not be too hot or too humid, so that the water that is sprayed can cool and freeze in the air before falling as snow.