Mountains with no ice: deciphering the disappearance of glaciers in a renowned mountain range, the Dolomite case (Eastern Alps)

Glaciers are a representative icon of the current climate change. They embody the three main aspects of this global phenomenon. They are (1) victims of the climate change, (2) an instrument of knowledge which allowed to better understand and address what is happening today, and (3) an important source of impact from climate change, both with respect to natural ecosystems and socio-economic activities.

One aspect related to the retreat of glaciers that is currently poorly investigated, is the consequence on the perception of the mountain environment and on our cultural heritage. Our approach to glaciers has deeply changed with time. During the Little Ice Age, they were regarded as a menace capable of destroying pastures and the highest settlements because of their advance. Then the view changes and glaciers became a sublime component of the landscape, interesting to know and study. Finally, glaciers turned into a source of entertainment for alpinists and tourists. Despite these different perspectives have somehow partially survived the passing of time, now the dominant perception of glaciers regards them as an endangered species. This is because of climate change and in many regions of Earth this vision will change soon: from endangered to extinct species (Carey, 2007).

Among the many environmental and socio-economic consequences, there is also the risk that with melting ice we will lose an important part of our culture. Retreating glaciers are sharing with us important messages, significantly contributing to strengthen the environmental awareness, what will happen when glaciers will be completely disappeared from whole mountain ranges? Will we be able to preserve what they have taught?

From this point of view the Dolomite represent an interesting laboratory to explore, ahead of other Alpine sectors, the effects of deglaciation in a renowned mountain range, with emphasis on the cultural impacts of glacier disappearance. These mountains, among the most famous and frequented of the Earth, hosted several small glaciers characterized by a notable morphological variety, but this glaciological heritage will soon disappear, as the Dolomites are expected to be ice-free in a few decades (Santin et al., 2019). There is a real risk that the Dolomite glaciers will vanish into silence and that with them we will also lose the stories of those who discovered, studied and attended those same glaciers. The aim of the present work is to oppose this fate, reviewing the recent history of Dolomitic glaciers and discussing the human and scientific significance of their demise.

 

References

• Carey (2007) The history of ice: how glaciers became an endangered species, Environmental History 12:497-527.
• Santin et al. (2019) Recent evolution of Marmolada glacier (Dolomites, Italy) by means of ground and airborne GPR surveys, Remote Sensing of the Environment 235:111442.