Scientists expected that the snow at the highest observatory in the world will melt during the next few days, and it is “earlier than ever” in a precedent, meaning that the melting did not occur before this date of the year.
The newspaper reported, “The GuardianScientists at the Sonnblick Observatory in the Austrian Alps, located 3,106 meters above sea level, were “shocked to see the snow melting quickly.”
In some years, this high mountainous region is covered with snow all summer long. But this year the snow melted more than a month earlier than the previous record melting time set on August 13 in 1963 and 2003.
Dramatic news from the Alps:Mount Sonnblick in Austria (3100m) hosts the mountain observatory with the longest and most reliable climatic data.Seasonal snow has never melted earlier than 13 August (1963 and 2003),today the snow depth is 9cm and it’ll probably be gone by tomorrow pic.twitter.com/prZIrB4GQl
— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) July 3, 2022
“Today (Tuesday) the thickness of the snow layer was 3 cm. I expect it will disappear completely today or tomorrow. It is not usual for the snow to melt completely at this time. In some years the snow cover is It is present all summer, but the earliest recorded thaw is in August.”
In June, snow was at its lowest level since records began in 1938.
Orlick explained: “On June 30, the snow level in Sunblick was 39 cm. Previously, the lowest level of snow was in June 120 cm, in 1942. Usually in June, the average snow level is 307 cm at the end of the month. In June from Last year, the minimum snow thickness was 362 cm.
It is reported that the Sunblick Observatory was established in 1886, and it helps scientists to explore the higher levels of the atmosphere. It has since been used by meteorologists to forecast the weather.
Temperatures are rising due to climate change, and heat waves in Europe are melting much of the snow and ice on the mountains at an unusually fast rate.
A few days ago, at least seven people were killed after an avalanche on Mount Marmolada in Italy, and scientists linked this disaster to the climate crisis, where the ice became weak due to the constant heat.