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Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Japan Times
How Switzerland's Birch glacier collapsed
A cascade of events in the Swiss Alps led to the dramatic collapse of the Birch glacier, wiping out Blatten village in the valley below, glaciologists and geoscientists said on Friday. Experts knew days ahead of Wednesday's landslide that the glacier was likely to suffer a catastrophic failure. But the reasons why date back much further. There are strong theories on the causes, and to what degree the disaster is linked to climate change — but these are yet to be confirmed by scientific analysis. "This can be considered as a cascading event, because we have different processes involved," explained Christophe Lambiel, senior lecturer at the University of Lausanne's Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics. Mountain above the glacier The 3,342-meter Kleines Nesthorn mountain above the glacier was already somewhat unstable, and rockfalls accelerated dramatically around 10 days beforehand. Experts feared a total collapse within hours, but instead there were successive rockfalls over several days, which was actually the best-case scenario. Rockfall onto glacier Some 3 million cubic meters of rock were deposited on the glacier. "If you put a lot of weight on an unstable foundation, it can just slip away. And this is what actually happened," Matthias Huss, the director of Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (GLAMOS), said. "The glacier accelerated strongly in response to this additional loading, and then the disaster struck." The Birch glacier The Birch glacier was a special case: the only Swiss glacier that was advancing rather than shrinking. However, this was not because of extra snowfall. Its advance "was quite likely due to the pre-loading with rockfalls from this mountain, which has finally collapsed. So the landslide didn't start from nothing," said Huss. A helicopter removes pieces of wood obstructing the river Lonza after the Birch glacier collapsed and a massive landslide destroyed the village of Blatten, on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI The glacier was on a steep slope, and even steeper at the front, worsening the dynamics. Smaller-scale falls from the front of the glacier Tuesday were expected to continue, with Wednesday's sudden total collapse considered a less-probable scenario. How the glacier collapsed The rockfalls altered the stress equation between the weight of the glacier and the slope, which governs its forward speed, Lambiel said. Like pushing a car, it takes a lot of force to initiate movement, but less once it is on the move, he explained. Huss said the 1,000 meters of elevation between the glacier and the Lotschental valley floor added a "huge amount of potential energy," which through friction melts part of the ice, making the fall "much more dynamic than if it was just rock." Role of melting permafrost Permafrost conditions are degrading throughout the Alps. Ice inside the cracks in the rocks has been thawing to ever-deeper levels over the last decade, especially after the summer 2022 heat wave. "Ice is considered as the cement of the mountains. Decreasing the quality of the cement decreases the stability of the mountain," said Lambiel. Huss added, "At the moment, we can't say it's because of permafrost thaw that this mountain collapsed — but it is at least a very probable explanation, or one factor, that has triggered or accelerated this process of the mountain falling apart." Role of climate change Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist at the Lotschental valley floor, said, "There is no clear evidence as of yet, for this specific case, that this was caused by climate change." Huss said making such a direct link was "complicated." "If it was just because of climate change that this mountain collapsed, all mountains in the Alps could collapse — and they don't," he said. "It's a combination of the long-term changes in the geology of the mountain. "The failing of the glacier as such — this is not related to climate change. It's more the permafrost processes, which are very complex, long-term changes." Lambiel said of a link between climate change and the glacier moving forward over time, "Honestly, we don't know. "But the increasing rockfalls on the glacier during the last 10 years — this can be linked with climate change." Other glaciers Modern monitoring techniques detect acceleration in the ice with high precision — and therefore allow for early warning. Lambiel said around 80 glaciers in the same region of Switzerland were considered dangerous, and under monitoring. "The big challenge is to recognise where to direct the detailed monitoring," said Huss. Lambiel said sites with glacier-permafrost interactions above 3,000 meters would now need more research. But they are difficult to reach and monitor. Steiner said, "Probably the rapidly changing permafrost can play some kind of role. "This is concerning because this means that mountains are becoming a lot more unstable."
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Climate
- Indian Express
Swiss village of Blatten buried by glacier collapse, raising climate concerns
The village of Blatten in southern Switzerland has been destroyed after a large section of mountain collapsed onto a glacier, sending rocks and ice crashing into the valley. Scientists had been monitoring the Nesthorn mountain above Blatten and had noticed signs of instability in recent weeks. Small slides of rocks and ice had already begun, prompting the evacuation of all 300 residents and their animals. Officials hoped the danger would pass slowly, but on Wednesday, a massive landslide hit the area. According to BBC, about nine million cubic metre of ice and rocks fell onto the Birch glacier and into the valley. The impact was strong enough to be recorded by geological monitoring stations across Switzerland. Blatten was completely buried. Its homes, church, and Hotel Edelweiss were all destroyed. Only the roof of the hotel is now visible above the debris. Breaking: A glacier collapse has buried the Swiss village of Blatten under mud. 💔 The Lonza River is dammed and large parts of the town have been evacuated. Tragic — but thanks to early warnings from scientists, lives were likely saved.#Switzerland #Blatten #ClimateCrisis… — The Curious Quill (@PleasingRj) May 29, 2025 In the nearby village of Kippel, residents Barbara and Otto Jaggi described the moment the disaster happened. 'There was loud banging, and the lights went out,' Barbara told. At first, they thought it was their chimney repairman, but soon he ran upstairs shouting, 'the mountain is coming.' Glacier expert Matthias Huss from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich said the disaster was the worst-case scenario. 'I was speechless,' he told the BBC, adding that while Blatten is the most serious event in recent years, it is not the only one. 'We are seeing many,' he said. 'A lot of these events in the last years in the Alps are linked to global warming.' Experts believe melting permafrost is playing a key role. Permafrost helps keep mountains stable, but as temperatures rise, it thaws. When that happens, the ground weakens, and slopes begin to collapse. Glaciers are also shrinking, uncovering unstable rock faces. 'These changes used to take centuries,' Huss explained. 'Now they are happening in just a few decades.' Although the village had been evacuated in time and no major injuries were reported, one man aged 64 is missing. Authorities say the clean-up is on hold as the debris has blocked the River Lonza, creating a flood risk for other villages like Wiler and Kippel. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter visited the area and met with people who had lost their homes. Local residents gathered for Ascension Day prayers in Wiler, expressing both grief and solidarity. 'They've lost everything,' one woman said. 'It's terrible. There's nothing we can do.' An elderly man added, 'We can cry, but we cannot cry forever. We must believe in God, that He will help us, so that life can go on.' Matthias Huss believes the Blatten disaster could shape how Switzerland thinks about living in mountain areas. 'This event will be decisive for how we perceive the mountains,' he said. 'And I wouldn't exclude that other villages might be destroyed in future.'
DW
4 days ago
- Climate
- DW
Switzerland: Flood risk after landslide engulfs village – DW – 05/29/2025
Authorities are using a drone with a thermal camera to search for the 64-year-old man. There are also concerns the debris from the glacier could cause the River Lonza flood other villages. A man remains missing on Thursday following a massive landslide that engulfed a village in southern Switzerland. The Birch glacier in Switzerland's southern Wallis region crumpled on Wednesday, with the resulting landslide of rock and ice sending plumes of dust skyward. It coated nearly the entirety of an Alpine village with mud, which authorities had evacuated last week as a precaution. Glaciers have lost around 10% of their volumes since 2022 due to climate change Image: Pomona Media/REUTERS The barrage largely destroyed the hamlet of Blatten, which had been home to 300 people. State Councilor Stephane Ganzer told Radio Television Suisse that 90% of the village was destroyed. The Cantonal Police of Valais said that a search and rescue operation was underway for the 64-year-old man, involving a drone with a thermal camera. Swiss glacier collapse partially destroys village of Blatten To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Climate change causing significant impact to glaciers Swiss glaciers are severely impacted by climate change. In the years 2022 and 2023, they melted just as much as they had between 1960 and 1990, losing in total about 10 percent of their volume. Matthias Huss, head of the Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS), pointed to the likely influence of climate change in loosening the rock mass in the permafrost zone, which triggered the glacier collapse and the subsequent landslide. "Unexpected things happen at places that we have not seen for hundreds of years, most probably due to climate change," he told Reuters. Concerns rising over blocked river Authorities declared a local state of emergency as they monitored the situation of the huge pile of glacier debris, stretching 2 kilometres (1.25 miles), blocked the River Lonza. "There is a serious risk of an ice jam that could flood the valley below," Antoine Jacquod, a military security official, told the Keystone-ATS news agency. "We're going to try to assess its dimensions." With the area too unstable to be approached, authorities indicated an assessment would be made during the late afternoon from the nearby village of Ferden. The deluge of mud, ice and debris blocked the River Lonza Image: Jean-Christophe Bott/KEYSTONE/dpa/picture alliance As a precaution, 16 people were evacuated late on Wednesday from two villages which are located downstream from the disaster area. An artificial dam was pre-emptively emptied to receive the water pushed back by the wall of ice, earth and rubble. Were that water to overflow from the dam, authorities would need to consider evacuating the valley. "The deposit ... is not very stable, and debris flow is possible within the deposit itself (which) makes any intervention in the disaster area impossible for the time being," cantonal authorities stated, adding there was risk on both sides of the valley. Residents shocked by scale of destruction Martin Henzen, a Blatten resident, told Reuters he was still trying to process what had occurred and did not want to speak for others in the village, saying only: "Most are calm, but they're obviously affected." He added that residents had been making preparations for some kind of natural disaster but "not for this scenario," referring to the scale of destruction. One man was reported missing after the landslide Image: Jean-Christophe Bott/KEYSTONE/dpa/picture alliance Up to 1 million cubic meters of water could be accumulating daily as a result of the debris damming up the river, and the buildings which have emerged intact from the landslide are now flooding. Authorities have been airlifting livestock out of the area, and Jonas Jeitziner, a local official from neighbouring Wiler, added: "Right now, the shock is so profound that one can't think about it yet." Edited by: Zac Crellin
eNCA
12-05-2025
- Climate
- eNCA
Snow cover of Swiss glaciers below average this year: study
The amount of snow covering Swiss glaciers at the end of the winter this year was 13 percent below the 2010-2020 average, said a group of glacier monitoring experts on Monday. Each spring, when snow cover reaches its peak, Matthias Huss, head of the Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (Glamos), and his team take measurements on several Swiss glaciers. This year, the Glamos team measured snow depth at 21 glaciers and found densities ranging between 1 and 4 metres, or between 0 and 52 percent below the reference value. The extrapolation of these measurements to all 1,400 registered Swiss glaciers shows a "winter snow deficit" that is 13 percent below the 2010-2020 period, their report said. "This value is less negative than in the very dry winters of 2022 and 2023," the experts said. The measurements examine both the depth and density of the snow, providing useful data to evaluate the upcoming summer melting season. "Overall, snow measurements on glaciers indicate another dry year with significant repercussions on melting in the coming summer," Huss said on X. "Another difficult year for glaciers ahead," he added. Snow cover is vital for glaciers as it allows them to "recharge" their mass, while protecting them from heat and sunlight in spring and summer. This year's measurements show "strong regional differences", with a very low snow cover on glaciers located in northeastern Switzerland but values close to average in the south and southwest, thanks to exceptional snowfall in these regions in mid-April. Swiss glaciers, severely impacted by climate change, melted as much in 2022 and 2023 as between 1960 and 1990, losing in total about 10 percent of their volume. Despite a very snowy 2024 winter, glaciers in Switzerland still lost 2.4 percent of their overall volume last year due to summer heat -- a process accelerated by dust coming from the Sahara. The accumulation of dust on the ice reduces the albedo effect: the whiter a surface is, the more light and heat it reflects.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Snow cover of Swiss glaciers below average this year: study
The amount of snow covering Swiss glaciers at the end of the winter this year was 13 percent below the 2010-2020 average, said a group of glacier monitoring experts on Monday. Each spring, when snow cover reaches its peak, Matthias Huss, head of the Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (Glamos), and his team take measurements on several Swiss glaciers. This year, the Glamos team measured snow depth at 21 glaciers and found densities ranging between 1 and 4 metres (3 and 13 feet), or between 0 and 52 percent below the reference value. The extrapolation of these measurements to all 1,400 registered Swiss glaciers shows a "winter snow deficit" that is 13 percent below the 2010-2020 period, their report said. "This value is less negative than in the very dry winters of 2022 and 2023," the experts said. The measurements examine both the depth and density of the snow, providing useful data to evaluate the upcoming summer melting season. "Overall, snow measurements on glaciers indicate another dry year with significant repercussions on melting in the coming summer," Huss said on X. "Another difficult year for glaciers ahead," he added. Snow cover is vital for glaciers as it allows them to "recharge" their mass, while protecting them from heat and sunlight in spring and summer. This year's measurements show "strong regional differences", with a very low snow cover on glaciers located in northeastern Switzerland but values close to average in the south and southwest, thanks to exceptional snowfall in these regions in mid-April. Swiss glaciers, severely impacted by climate change, melted as much in 2022 and 2023 as between 1960 and 1990, losing in total about 10 percent of their volume. Despite a very snowy 2024 winter, glaciers in Switzerland still lost 2.4 percent of their overall volume last year due to summer heat -- a process accelerated by dust coming from the Sahara. The accumulation of dust on the ice reduces the albedo effect: the whiter a surface is, the more light and heat it reflects. apo/nl/djt/giv
