Stuart Franklin

 

Stuart Franklin

Europe's Disappearing Glaciers

 

The relentless and progressive melting of Europe's glaciers is one of the most visible and menacing symptoms of climate change. It is estimated that Euopre's Alps could lose three-quarters of their glaciers to the onslaught of climate change during the coming century, some are retreating by as much as 30 to 40 metres per year.
Glaciers perform pivotal roles as geographical phenomenon; crucial for providing fresh drinking water, they are also key to irrigation, hydro-power and tourism in many European countries. In addition to the detrimental effects of the melting water caused by the increase in global temperatures, the melting permafrost (earth compacted and glued together by frost that never melts) significantly increases the likelihood of landslides. The collapse of a part of the Eiger in Switzerland earlier this year has been well documented; but every day more mountain villages become unsafe as slope permafrost starts to melt and loosened stones begin to roll down the mountainsides.
The World Glacier Monitoring Service and other researchers have all found that glaciers across the Alps appear to be retreating at a faster rate than a few decades ago. From 1995 to 2000, 103 of 110 glaciers examined in Switzerland, 95 of 99 glaciers in Austria, all 69 glaciers in Italy, and all 6 glaciers in France were in retreat. The largest glacier in France, the Mer de Glace, which is 11 km (6.85 miles) long and 400 m (1,312 ft) thick, has lost 8.3% of its length in 130 years, and thinned by 27% since 1907.
Stuart Franklin ventured out onto precipices and into caves of over a dozen of Europe's glaciers, with a large format camera, to document the haunting retreat of these ice goliaths. Franklin, with a phd in Geography, has a longstanding and indepth knowledge on climate change and is currently working on a comprehensive project to document the many facets of Europe's rapidly altering landscape.

 

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