Climate change gives a twist to the Eidsvoll declaration from 1814: “Agree and believe until Dovre falls”. But eternal Dovre does not fall. It’s thawing from the inside. Mountain sides may collapse and ski paradises disappear when the permafrost now disappears in Europe’s high mountains. This is shown by an international study that was published on Tuesday. Taking the heat on the mountain In recent years, powerful drilling machines have been operating at Galdhøpiggen and Dovrefjell. It could be similar to drilling for oil. At over 1,800 metres, at Juvasshø in Jotunheimen, the researchers have drilled deep into gravel, rock and ice. Photo: Bjørnar Morønning / news But there are researchers who have drilled for sure signs of climate change: They take the temperature of the permafrost far below the ground – areas where the temperature does not rise above 0 degrees Celsius within two years. After comparing measurements over the past 30 years from Svalbard in the north to the Sierra Nevada in Spain in the far south, the researchers have a clear answer. TIME MACHINE: By measuring the temperature accurately at 30-40 meters or more in the ground, we can say something about the development over a long period of time. Photo: Bjørnar Morønning / news The permafrost in Europe’s high mountains is warming up and disappearing. It is happening faster than scientists have thought and just as fast as in arctic regions in the north of Siberia and Canada. – This permafrost is several thousand years old in many places. Now it thaws within 10–20 years on a fairly large scale, says senior researcher and permafrost expert Ketil Isaksen at the Meteorological Institute to news. RESEARCHER: Several thousand-year-old permafrost in the European high mountains is thawing at great speed, says senior researcher Ketil Isaksen at the Meteorological Institute. Photo: LINE NAGELL YLVISÅKER Isaksen has led the work on the research study together with researchers at the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos, Switzerland. The study, which will be published this week in the journal Nature Communications, is far more comprehensive than previous studies. – The most surprising thing is that the permafrost in the high mountains is now heating up as quickly as in the Arctic. Ten meters below the surface, mountain sides and mountain areas are in several places up to one degree warmer than they were a decade ago, says Ketil Isaksen. Summer ski center may be closed For many years, Galdhøpiggen summer ski center has been a paradise for top Norwegian alpinists. Here they have been able to train both early in the spring and late in the autumn. ALPINE: Galdhøpiggen summer ski center on Juvasshø has existed since the 1980s. In a few years it may be gone because the permafrost thaws and the glacier retreats. Photo: Bjørnar Morønning / news The ski slope is located right next to the area at Juvassflya where the researchers have found that the permafrost is thawing. Before long, the summer ski center may have to close for good. – I guess we’re not entirely surprised by this. We’ve seen the signs for a while. Especially after 2006, things have gone fast, says Per Arne Vole, chairman of the Galdhøpiggen summer ski centre. His father started the summer ski center in the 80s. In recent years, they have had to produce snow on a grand scale and cover the snow with specially made sheets to make the snow last through the summer season. RESCUE: Per Arne Vole at the Galdhøpiggen summer ski center has in recent years tried to cover the ski slopes to slow down the melting of the glacier. Photo: helene mariussen The fact that the permafrost is thawing has all been noticed by more telehive on Høyfjellsveien and by the fact that the houses built on 22 meter long steel piles are no longer standing. – There are many kilometers of steel pipes lying underground. They were supposed to last forever. But when it thaws again, there will be even greater challenges with the houses. FIGHTING: Per Arne Vole sees that the end is approaching for the Galdhøpiggen summer ski centre, but they are fighting to keep their livelihood as long as possible. Photo: Even Lusæter / news Now they risk losing their livelihood for good, but hope to keep it going as long as possible. – Are you getting bored? – This is what we have lived by, then. So absolutely, we will be. But it’s probably not possible to think too much about it. You just have to fight on as long as you can. For the end is coming. It’s just a matter of trying to extend it as long as possible, says Per Arne Vole. Avalanche danger in tourist magnets Millions of tourists make pilgrimages to the Alps every year to ski, hike or climb. The permafrost has held these mountains together for thousands of years. SKI PARADISE: Many ski destinations in the Alps may be at risk because the permafrost is thawing and contributing to unstable mountain slopes, the researchers believe. Photo: Christian Fougner When the permafrost thaws, the soil and rock masses on the steep mountain sides become more unstable and the risk of landslides increases. – A number of popular summer paths and climbing routes in Europe are now closed permanently, because the frequency of rock falls and unstable mountain sides in these areas has become an increased risk, says Isaksen. Rapid change at Dovrefjell The researchers have analyzed data from 14 holes in Norwegian mountain areas, including Svalbard. Two of the areas are at Juvvasshøe in Jotunheimen and on Dovrefjell. When the first measurements at Dovre started over 20 years ago, the changes were rather slow. TUNDRA: The high mountain tundra in Dovrefjell National Park is important for, among other things, wild reindeer. Here, the permafrost is thawing faster than before. Photo: Snorre Tønset / news But when the permafrost thaws and all the ice on the ground has gradually melted, the temperature rises quickly. – In one of the boreholes on Dovrefjell, the average temperature rise at a depth of 8.5 meters was a full 1.8 °C in the period 2013 to 2022, says Isaksen. In some areas the researchers have investigated, the limit of permafrost is at least 100 m higher above sea level now than it was 10–20 years ago. – The fact that the permafrost is now moving higher up in the mountains will make the soil wetter and affect the vegetation to a large extent, says Ketil Isaksen. The boundary for permafrost has drawn over 100 meters up in the Norwegian high mountains in the last 10-20 years. Self-reinforcing effect It is global warming that causes snow and ice to melt and permafrost to thaw. It has long been known that the permafrost on the tundra in the Arctic is thawing, as in Siberia and Canada. The powerful greenhouse gas methane is then released together with CO₂. This further enhances global warming. AMPLIFIERS: That the permafrost is disappearing amplifies global warming, says senior researcher Ketil Isaksen. Photo: Snorre Tønset / news Scientists have also known for a long time that the glaciers are shrinking. And when the permafrost thaws in the high mountains, this also becomes self-reinforcing, explains Isaksen – When the snowdrifts and glaciers retreat, the thaw goes faster and faster. Within a few decades now, we will change the entire frozen part of the earth, says senior researcher Ketil Isaksen. Warmer, wetter and wilder Climate change has already changed where, how often and how strongly the world experiences floods, and can lead to more and more serious landslides, according to the UN climate panel. This is, among other things, because Europe and other parts of the world have experienced a lot of extreme rainfall in recent years the years. Man-made climate change is already increasing the chance of the rain becoming so extreme. Lars Tore Endresen / news What has happened so far? When the temperature rises, more water evaporates, and the atmosphere can hold more water. This means that the precipitation becomes more concentrated and intense, according to the climate panel. They say that spring floods come earlier than before, and that floods come more often and more powerfully than before in many places in the world. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration What do we know about landslides? Increased rainfall and melting of snow and glaciers can also increase the risk of landslides, especially in steep mountain areas. In addition to climate change, population growth and tourism are also factors that make landslides more likely in the future, because there will be more pressure on nature. Can we do something about it? The less greenhouse gases the world emits in the coming years, the less warming we will get. Then the risk of extreme weather linked to water will also decrease. In addition, there are measures such as warning systems and better planning of infrastructure, which can limit the worst damage. Countries around the world have pledged to try to limit warming to 1.5 degrees. With today’s policy, we are facing 2.8 degrees of warming, according to UNEP. Published 11.12.2024, at 09.13 Updated 11.12.2024, at 15.41
ttn-69
The permafrost in the high mountains is disappearing – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
