A new study found that Sweden's highest mountain peak has shrunk by 6 1/2 feet (2 meters) in a year because of melting glaciers.
According to the European Copernicus Earth observation program (which manages the Sentinel Earth observation constellation), the Kebnekaise glacier was captured by Sentinel 2's European satellite Sentinel 2 image on July 28. It has lost one-third of its mass since then due to climate change.
According to the Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University, Sweden, measurements of the Kebnekaise mountain began in the 1940s. These observations reveal that the elevation of the southern peak of the mountain varies through the year due snow drift and the receding of ice in the summer. It is most often at its highest in May, and lowest in September. The difference in height between winter and summer could be as high as two to three meters.
The university's geologists found that the mountain was at its lowest elevation since it began to be measured on August 14. The summit was at 6,872 feet (6,094.6 meters) above sea level. This is nearly 6.6 feet (2m) lower than the Aug 2020 elevation of 6,878.3ft (2,096.5m). Scientists added that the summit would likely fall by at least 1.6 feet (0.5m) more before mid-September.
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Per Holmlund (Professor of Glacierology at the Bolin Centre Tarfala Research Station) said that the height variation was a good indicator of the glaciers’ response to a warming climate. Today's hikers pass a flat area called the 'pre-peak', which was not present in the early 2000s. The peak has fallen 2,2 meters (7.2 ft) since 2020. However, the 'prepeak' has grown up to 1,2 m (3.3 ft).
According to scientists, the average air temperature in the region has been increasing, which has caused the ice to melt faster. Changes in wind patterns have further contributed to the melting of snow at winter's southern peak, Kebnekaise.
Sweden's highest summit was once the southern peak of Knebnekeise. This title is now officially held by the northern peak of Knebnekeise, which is more rugged and thus more resistant to climate change.
In a damning report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, (IPCC), the melting glaciers was cited as one of the most obvious signs of climate change's worsening. The rate of glacier melting over the past 2000 years was described as "unparalleled" and the report predicted that this alarming trend would continue for many centuries.
Satellites provide a clear view from the sky that allows scientists to monitor the global ice sheets and glaciers, and reveal the impacts of climate change. A constellation of nine Sentinel satellites is currently managed by the European Unions Copernicus Earth observation programme. They monitor different aspects of Earth's environment.
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