- Zugspitz glacier is melting - landscape is being lost
It's a manageable walk from the lift station at the Zugspitzplatt over to the last ice of the glacier - an opportunity even for visitors not equipped for high-altitude hiking to catch a last glimpse of the retreating ice. By the end of the decade, scientists predict that the Northern Snowferner, one of the last four glaciers in Germany, will no longer be a glacier. The Watzmann and Blue Ice glaciers near Berchtesgaden are expected to follow even sooner, with just two or three years left, depending on the weather. Only the Höllentalferner is likely to survive longer.
The Bavarian Zugspitzbahn is now using new theme boards and daily free glacier tours to raise awareness of the precarious state of the glaciers. The Northern Snowferner, with its constant melting, is a clear indicator of global warming, explained spokesperson Verena Tanzer. "The Bavarian Zugspitzbahn transports guests from all over the world to the Zugspitze, right to the dying glacier." They feel a responsibility to inform, sensitize, and educate.
A landscape is lost
The melting is happening so fast that the data on the theme path's roughly ten-year-old boards had to be updated with the help of scientists from the environmental research station Schneefernerhaus. "It's important for us to provide guests with solid information here on the path to increase sensitivity," said Laura Schmidt, spokesperson for the Schneefernerhaus. "We can see right before our eyes that the glacier is losing area. A landscape is being lost - future generations won't see this."
Climate change is clearly visible in the mountains. A lot is changing for mountaineers too: alpine hazards are increasing, rockfall is becoming more common, and crevasses between ice and rock are growing larger, as seen at the Höllentalferner, one of the popular ascents to the Zugspitze.
Two years ago, scientists stripped the Southern Snowferner of its status as the fifth German glacier, among other things because it was no longer flowing - a criterion for classification as a glacier.
Last blessing
Last year, the ailing Northern Snowferner received a kind of posthumous last blessing. Representatives of the Protestant and Catholic churches took a symbolic leave, using death notices, holy water, and prayers, as a wake-up call for the climate crisis and the dangers it poses to nature and humanity.
Even in 2018, the Höllentalferner and Northern Snowferner, the largest German glaciers at the time, were only about half the size of the Oktoberfest grounds, at 16.7 and 16.1 hectares respectively. Since then, the Northern Snowferner has shrunk to about 13 hectares, according to measurements by scientists from the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (BAdW) and Munich University of Applied Sciences. At its thickest point, it's about 20 meters, and it has lost about seven meters in average thickness in just five years, the highest value in the entire observation series since 1892, according to glaciologist and geographer Wilfried Hagg. "By 2030, it could be so small and thin that there's no more ice movement," and thus lose its classification as a glacier.
Impact on ski operation
The melting is likely to also impact ski operations on the Zugspitzplatt. "The terrain has changed dramatically," said Tanzer. There are considerations about whether the Platt-Schlepplift should even be operated. If the slope above was previously a blue run, it is now black; the exit at the lift is extremely steep. "We will take a close look at that before the next season." The decision will depend on the current snow conditions.
The other three German glaciers have also lost out. The Watzmann glacier has held up relatively well, with 4.7 hectares, compared to 4.8 hectares in 2018. It is covered by almost 50% of debris, which protects it from solar radiation. In contrast, the Blue Ice glacier, despite being more shaded, shrank from 5.2 hectares to 4.2 hectares.
The Höllentalferner lies in a basin and is regularly fed by avalanches, at least in the upper part. According to Hagg, it is the only German glacier that still shows some growth at the top, although this does not make up for the losses.
Scientists expect it to be the last to disappear - perhaps until 2035, according to the cautious forecast by glaciologist Christoph Mayer of the BAdW, who, together with Hagg, prepared the previous glacier reports for the state government. Then, Germany will likely be glacier-free. Dead ice will remain for a while.
Sun and temperature are the main factors driving the melt, with warm rain and air humidity also playing a role. The summer of 2022, with weeks of sunshine, was "devastating" for the scientists. 2023 was also among the years that significantly affected the glaciers.
Scientists are still cautious about the current summer. They plan to measure the German glaciers using drone images this fall to document the rapid changes.
There was relatively much snow in the winter at high altitudes, which protected the ice in places until the summer. "We have a good reserve from the winter," said Mayer. "It now depends heavily on August." Much snow in the winter helps the glaciers, says Hagg. "A thick snow layer that lasts into the summer is balm for the glacier." Nevertheless, says Mayer: "It is foreseeable - it's slowly coming to an end."
The Bavarian Nature Conservation Association demands more measures for climate neutrality. "How far the climate change has already progressed can be seen very well at the Zugspitze," said the chairman of the Bavarian Nature Conservation Association, Richard Mergner. "Unfortunately, it is foreseeable that the state government will miss its self-set goal of being climate-neutral by 2040." More needs to be done in the transport sector, in the expansion of wind power, and in the conversion of agriculture.
The Bavarian Zugspitzbahn uses daily free glacier tours and theme boards to highlight the shrinking glaciers, specifically the Northern Snowferner, which is expected to lose its glacier status by 2030 due to rapid melting. The melting of glaciers like the Northern Snowferner is a stark reminder of the impact of climate change on mountain landscapes and wildlife, leading to a loss of biodiversity and possible changes in ski operations.
