The Shrinking Glaciers Project

The Girose Glacier lies at the base of La Meije (3,984 m asl), a striking peak in the Écrins Massif, a high mountain range in France. To its west stretches the Mont-de-Lans Glacier, while the Vallon and Râteau Glaciers flank it to the east. Pic de la Grave (3,667 m asl) overlooks the Girose Glacier, in a region distinguished by several ice domes—among them, the Dôme de La Lauze which rises to an elevation of 3,568 m asl.

The Girose Glacier is one of the last remaining large glaciers in the Alps. As of 2022, it spanned an area of 4.63 km². However, it has been steadily retreating, with noticeable melting occurring each summer. Since 2003, this process has accelerated significantly. Between 1983 and 2014, the glacier lost approximately 15% of its surface area (Rabatel et al., 2016).

The Girose cable car, once used to transport visitors to the glacier, is currently out of service and is slated for dismantling. This moment could serve as a poignant opportunity to reconsider our perception of this legendary site—a place that evokes both wonder and reverence for the high mountains.

Yet, the glacier is also part of the third section of a cable car development project that has sparked considerable debate. Since 2018, Mountain Wilderness France has actively campaigned to protect the landscape and its biodiversity through the citizen-led initiative La Grave Autrement.

The Gepatschferner Glacier (Vedretta della Croda) is located in the southern part of the Kaunertal Valley, Tyrol, western Austria, and has a small portion that extends into Italy, specifically into South Tyrol. It extends over 7.8 km in length and covers 16.6 km² and is the second largest glacier in Austria after the Pasterze Glacier. Together with the Kesselwandferner, it forms the largest contiguous ice surface in the eastern Alps.

The glacier culminates to the northwest in the Weißseespitze/Cima del lago bianco (3,526 m asl), whereas the three peaks of the Hintereisspitzen (approximately 3,450 m asl) border the Gepatschferner Glacier to the southeast.

The glacier is receding about 100 m/year, making it the fastest melting glacier in the Alps. Since around 1850, the Gepatschferner Glacier has lost about half of its mass. Where the glacier tongue once ended, at the Fernergarten or Fernergries, stands the Gepatschhaus 1,928 m asl), built in 1873, the oldest Alpine Club hut in Austria.

Glaciers are the world’s largest freshwater reservoirs. The Inn and Rhône rivers, both originating in the Alps, are prime examples of rivers fed by glacial meltwater. One of the Inn’s tributaries is the Fagge river, that drains the Gepatschferner Glacier.

On July 13, 2025, an action led by Mountain Wilderness Germany on the Gepatschferner Glacier in the Ötztal Alps called for the uncompromising protection of existing glaciers and the implementation of effective climate protection measures. The action was organised because the Kaunertal glacier ski area is planning to expand beyond the existing ski area boundaries in the direction of Weißseespitze and Gepatschferner. The expansion is intended to enable skiing even when glaciers are receding. The campaign received support from members of Protect Our Winters Germany.

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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