The Rhône Glacier (, Walliser German: ''Rottengletscher'', , ) is a

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

in the

Swiss Alps The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...

and the source of the river

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

and one of the primary contributors to

Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...

in the far eastern end of the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

canton of Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

. While the glacier is accessible via the

Furka Pass Furka Pass (; ) is a high mountain pass in the southern Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch, Valais with Realp, Uri via the seasonal Furkapassroute. The Furka Oberalp Bahn bypasses the pass through the high Furka Base Tunnel, which opened in 19 ...

road, it can only be visited between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox (roughly 120 days a year).

Geography

The Rhône Glacier is the largest glacier in the

Urner Alps The Uri Alps (also known as ''Urner Alps'', ) are a mountain range in Central Switzerland and part of the Western Alps. They extend into the cantons of Obwalden, Valais, Bern, Uri and Nidwalden and are bordered by the Bernese Alps (Grimsel Pas ...

. It lies on the south side of the range at the source of the Rhône. The ''Undri Triftlimi'' (3,081 m) connects it to the Trift Glacier. The glacier is located on the northernmost part of the canton of Valais, between the

Grimsel Pass The Grimsel Pass (; ; ) is a mountain pass in Switzerland, crossing the Bernese Alps at an elevation of . The pass connects the Haslital, the upper valley of the river Aare, with the upper valley of the Rhône. In so doing, and as the Aare is a t ...

and the

and is part of the Oberwald municipality. The Dammastock (3,630 m) is the highest summit above the glacier.

Evolution

File:Johann Heinrich Müller, 1825-1894 H21 Rhonegletscher.JPG, 1870 File:Gletch und Rhonegletscher um 1900.jpeg, 1900 File:Rhoneglacier.JPG, 2005 File:Glacier du Rhone.jpg, 2008 File:2010-10-10 Furka 035-by bohdan urbanowicz.jpg, 2010 File:Rhonegletscher Sept-2018a.jpg, 2018 File:Rhone Glacier 2021.JPG, 2021 Rhone glacier stats

Because of its easy accessibility the evolution of the Rhône Glacier has been observed since the 19th century. During the last 120 years, the glacier has retreated approximately 1300 metres, leaving behind a track of naked stone.

Slowing the retreat

For several years, UV-resistant fleecy white blankets have been installed during the warm periods, covering about 5 acres of the retreating glacier to reduce its melting. It's estimated that this effort reduces the melting by up to 70%. In addition to the global implications of increasing

climate warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

and instability, the local economy is at risk of losing business income from glacier tourists who have flocked to the area since 1870 to walk through "a long and winding ice grotto with glistening blue walls and a leaky ceiling". In 2018, photographers Simon Norfolk and Klaus Thymann created a series of photographs titled "Shroud" displaying the wrapped glacier for the charity organisation Project Pressure to draw attention to the glacial retreat. Of particular concern in recent studies has been the loss of not only ice but of biological heritage in the form of microrganisms contained within the ice and soil.

References

Rhône Glacier
at Glaciers online
Rhône Glacier
at

NASA Earth Observatory NASA Earth Observatory is an online publishing outlet for NASA which was created in 1999. It is the principal source of satellite imagery and other scientific information about the climate and the environment which are being provided by NASA for ...

External links

Simulation of the shrinking of the glacier
- with length variation measurements since 1879 *
Interactive repeat photo comparisons of the Rhône Glacier
Glaciers of Valais Glaciers of the Alps Rhône Tourist attractions in Valais {{Valais-glacier-stub

Geography

Evolution

Slowing the retreat

See also

References

External links