Mont Blanc, Europe's tallest mountain, is shrinking as the climate around it changes. The mountain, which straddles the French-Swiss border, has lost 2.2 metres in height since its previous measurement two years ago.
Researchers have been taking measurements every two years since 2001 to gather information about the impact of climate change on the Alps. The researchers, led by Jean des Garets, whose title is Chief Geometer of France's Haute-Savoie area, aren't pulling a panic alarm, though, pointing out that that the peak, 4,792 metres above sea level, has a thick covering of ice and snow which varies from year to year depending on wind and weather, and that it's possible that "Mont Blanc could well be much taller in two years" at its next measurement.
Des Garets says that "we're gathering the data for future generations, we're not here to interpret them, we leave that up to the scientists."
The measurements were made by teams totaling almost 20 people who scaled the mountain in mid-September to carry out measurements over several days. For the first time, their equipment included a drone. "We've learned a lot from these measurement campaigns: we know that the summit is constantly changing in altitude and position, with changes of up to five metres," des Garets said.
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