Catastrophic year for the Hintereisferner


The Hintereisferner in the rear Ötztal of the Tyrolean Alps has been scientifically monitored for around 100 years and is one of the best-studied glaciers in the Alps. However, never since the beginning of the survey period has there been such a massive loss of ice as in 2022, reports a working group led by Rainer Prinz from the University of Innsbruck in a statement. So far this year, the ice tongue has lost five percent of its remaining mass, write Prinz and Co. Since 2016, the scientists have even been recording daily measurement data.

By June 22, the glacier had already lost all of its winter gains and the mass balance was slipping into the negative: the “Glacier Loss Say” had never been reached so early since measurements began. »In the winter months, only two meters of snow accumulated on average, normally it is at least three. In June, July and August, the second highest temperatures ever measured were also recorded in this area,” says Prinz. The combination of a lack of precipitation in winter and a pronounced heat wave in summer ensured a rapid, steady and high rate of melting, which affected the substance of the Hintereisferner early on.

“To make the dimensions clearer: the loss of ice corresponds to almost 20 million cubic meters of water, about as much as the city of Innsbruck consumes in drinking water in 20 months,” says Prinz. The previous record year of 2003 was also surpassed on August 25, and the melting period will continue for the time being.

»These are clear signals of man-made climate change. The consequences of our greenhouse gas emissions are already hitting us hard,” says Prinz. As a result, the Hintereisferner could lose up to half its volume over the next 10 to 20 years. And the glacier was no exception in 2022: other glaciers in the Alps also lost large amounts of ice; in the Bavarian Alps, for example, only the Höllentalferner on the Zugspitze is considered to have a chance of surviving into the second half of the century.



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