10.12.2024 | Roman Oester | SLF News
Permafrost temperatures in Europe's mountain regions are rising steadily, in some cases by more than 1 °C over the last decade. The results of a new study show larger and faster changes than before.
This text was automatically translated.
64 measurement series from nine European countries, from Svalbard in the far North to the Alps and the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain - this extensive data set on permafrost temperatures in Europe's mountains has been collected and analyzed by over twenty permafrost researchers under the leadership of SLF scientist Jeannette Nötzli. They present the results in a study: This clearly shows for the first time that mountain permafrost is getting warmer throughout Europe. In the last ten years, the temperature at a depth of ten meters has increased by more than 1° C at some locations. "The warming of permafrost in the mountains is significant," says Nötzli, "and it is observed in all regions, depths and time periods that we have looked at."
The cold regions where permafrost occurs - the high mountains and the polar regions - react particularly sensitively to climate change. The study now shows that the increase in permafrost temperatures in the mountain regions of Europe is partly similar to that in the Arctic: the researchers observed the greatest warming at the highest and northernmost locations. When temperatures in the ice-rich permafrost rise towards 0 °C, the warming slows down significantly and almost comes to a halt because the energy is needed to melt the ice ground. Once the ice in the permafrost has melted, temperatures rise again.
Thanks to the good international cooperation, Jeannette Nötzli and her team were able to draw on decades of data from European mountains, which are measured at a depth of at least ten meters. "This large data set is unique and highly valuable," explains Nötzli. Collecting data in harsh and cold mountain environments and over many years is time-consuming work and requires a lot of commitment. Such time series and their evaluation are an important basis not only for research, but also for practice and the authorities. The increasing changes and the potential consequences for natural hazards and infrastructure are a major challenge in many mountain regions.
Like the measurements, the warming of the permafrost also continues. "This can also be seen from the fact that the warming at a depth of ten meters is stronger than deeper in the ground," says Jeannette Nötzli. Further down in the ground, temperatures react to climate change with increasing delay. The observed warming will continue to penetrate to greater depths in the coming decades.
What is ... permafrost?
Permafrost is ground such as rock, debris or moraine that has temperatures below 0°C throughout and is therefore permanently frozen. Permafrost covers some five percent of Switzerland’s territory and is mainly found in scree slopes and rock walls in cold locations at elevations above 2,500 metres above sea level.
Contact ¶
Copyright ¶
WSL and SLF provide image and sound material free of charge for use in the context of press contributions in connection with this media release. The transfer of this material to image, sound and/or video databases and the sale of the material by third parties are not permitted.