Mont Blanc: why France’s highest mountain shrinks – 10/05/2023 – Environment

France’s highest mountain has shrunk over the past two years, according to researchers. Mont Blanc measured 4,805.59 meters in September 2023, which is 2.22 meters shorter than the 2021 measurement.

Expert Jean des Garets says the reduction may have been caused by less rainfall this summer.

The mountain in southeastern France is measured every two years to try to track the impact of climate change on the Alps.

Garets said his team has learned a lot about Mont Blanc since measurements began in 2001.

“The summit is constantly changing altitude and position, with changes of up to five metres,” he said.

After the 2021 measurement, experts stated that, on average, the mountain lost about 13 cm in height per year.

“We are gathering data for future generations,” Garets added. “We’re not here to interpret them, we leave that to the scientists.”

But he also urged caution, saying people shouldn’t use height measurement to “say anything old.”

The rocky peak of Mont Blanc is 4,792 m above sea level, but the variation in height comes from the snow and ice on the summit.

The amount depends on wind and weather, and researchers said the reduction may have been caused by “lower precipitation” — or less rain — this year.

A higher peak would have been recorded if there had been heavier precipitation and weaker winds.

And there is no concern just about Mont Blanc. Last week, it was revealed that Switzerland’s glaciers suffered the second-largest annual loss — which scientists considered a clear symptom of global warming.

How the measurement is made

Last month, a team of 20 people climbed Mont Blanc to carry out the measurement, which took several days. They split into eight groups, and this was the first time they had used a drone to determine the height of the summit.

The height is determined by installing small receivers in the snow to model the ice cap on top. The receivers emit a GPS signal that is used to obtain a measurement accurate to centimeters.

Mont Blanc is nicknamed “the roof of Europe” and it is estimated that between 20,000 and 30,000 people attempt to climb it every year.

The most popular route up the mountain is limited to 214 climbers per day to avoid overcrowding.

In 2013, a climber found a box on the mountain with buried treasure that included emeralds, rubies and sapphires.

After a bureaucratic process, he kept half of the box’s contents in 2021 — worth around R$800,000.

Heat waves have become more frequent, more intense and last longer due to human-induced climate change, experts say.

The world has already warmed by about 1.1°C since the start of the industrial era and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments around the world make drastic cuts in emissions.