June: Schneeferner Glacier

The Schneeferner Glacier is located on the Zugspitzplatt, a plateau sloping downwards from west to east, south of the Zugspitze (2,962 m asl), the highest mountain in the Bavarian Alps. Until 2022, there were three glaciers on the Zugspitze: the Höllentalferner, the Southern Schneeferner and the Northern Schneeferner.

In September 2022, the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften announced the Southern Schneeferner had lost its glacier status. Since then, it has been referred to as “Toteis” (dead ice). After the extreme summer heat that year, its ice sheet was less than 2 m thick in most areas and did not even reach 6 m at its thickest point. Its area had halved to about one hectare between 2018 and 2022.

With an area of around 30 hectares, the Northern Schneeferner is the largest glacier in Germany, and being located at a high altitude, it is accessible well into the summer months. However, it is expected to disappear within the next 10 to 15 years. Climate change is the primary driver of glacier retreat worldwide. Saharan dust and black carbon accelerate the melting process.

Glacier changes are a visible and well-documented indicator of global warming and significantly alter landscapes. Although the retreat of Bavarian glaciers is unlikely to cause an immediate water shortage, it should nonetheless be regarded as a stark indicator of the broader impacts of climate change. It will undoubtedly lead to shifts in local flora and fauna. In the Alps, temperatures have risen by nearly 2°C since the late 19th century, which is almost twice as much as the global average.

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