The Alps are getting greener

what is happening in the alpine region? Vegetation above the tree line has increased by almost 80%. Snow cover is also decreasing. The Alps are getting greener, although this is not necessarily good news.

The shrinking snow cover is already visible from space, says Professor Sabine Rumpf. She works with the University of Basel. She and Professors Grégoire Mariéthoz and Antoine Guisan of the University of Lausanne tackled the case.

The Alps are getting greener, due to global warming.
The Alps are getting greener, because of global warming.

Massive changes

Used high-resolution satellite data from 1984 to 2021. Plant biomass above the tree line increased by more than 77% of the observed area. This “greening” phenomenon is due to climate change.

“The scale of change has turned out to be absolutely massive in the Alps,” say. in a statement Sabine Rumpf, lead author of the study and, since February, assistant professor at the University of Basel. The Alps are becoming greener because plants are colonizing new areas. The vegetation is generally denser and taller.

“Alpine plants are adapted to harsh conditions. But they are not very competitive,” says Rumpf in a statement. Environmental conditions change, and these specialized species lose their advantage. The unique biodiversity of the Alps is under considerable pressure.”

The snow in the Alps provides recreational spaces.
Alpine snow provides leisure spaces.

Changing Alps

Snow cover decreased in almost 10% of the area. This is a worrying trend. “This decrease has already caused some areas to become virtually snowless,” they point out. As global warming continues, the Alps will continue to change. “Greener mountains reflect less sunlight. Therefore, they cause more warming. And, in turn, a further reduction in reflective snow cover,” says Rumpf.

Warming also leads to more melting of glaciers. It can lead to more landslides, rockslides and mudflows. There is another important role of snow and ice in the Alps. It influences the supply of drinking water and, not least, leisure and tourism.

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