UKH

FAO flashy, following side discussion on BMC thread

The website of the World Glacier Monitoring Service may be of interest:

https://wgms.ch/

Figure 2 on this page is particularly alarming:

https://wgms.ch/global-glacier-state/

For reference: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/ukc/british_mountaineering_council_ceo_pa...

Various pieces of work showing glacial recession has been happening since 1850 ( or earlier) come up from times to time.

This often seems to be in context of denying a link between glacial retreat and current climate concerns (along the lines of...this has been happing for longer than other measurable impacts of industrialisation, so it isn't a reflection of that, and we are attributing too much to anthropogenic factors).

An alternative is that there were already major changes occurring by the start of the 19th C and that glaciers are just s very sensitive indicator. (And we are now seeing a change in rate...).

I’ll always remember standing at one of the cable car stations in the Aiguille Rouge, chatting to a German geologist. He was recanting the tale of how the glaciers that we were looking at on the other side of the valley flowed all the way to Geneva just 20,000 years or so ago. Just shy of 100km long. I never did figure out the average rate of retreat, but aren’t we still officially coming out of the end of that ice age? 

Well it has.Thrre is no real doubt about that.

Indeed. Normally quoting data that is dubious at best in one way or another.

Roll up, Roll up, bring on the psuedo science anthropogenic climate change denialists.

I think we have been heere many times. 

Thanks for setting up the thread, took me a little while to find it.

However, in the interim I have had a brief email exchange and as a consequence I will not be posting here.  Apologies to MG, I did not intend to waste your time.

If any of you want to know the reason for this decision you will have to contact me directly via email and I will explain.  I realise that is a risk to you in that your personal email will be exposed to me.  For my part any emails will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and I would trust that you would do the same.

If you don't want to follow up, or feel you want to slag me off in the comments for wasting your time or claim I am "running scared" be my guest, it won't bother me.

Regards,

I'm not sure what this is, but to be clear, the exchange wasn't with me.

I confirm it wasn't with anyone on this thread.

I'm disappointed. I was hoping for an interesting (and polite) thread.

The polite ship has already sailed and sunk:

"If you don't want to follow up, or feel you want to slag me off in the comments for wasting your time or claim I am "running scared" be my guest, it won't bother me."

Nothing stopping us.

The glaciers shrinking is one thing. Another is the Alps simply look less beautiful in summer with less snow. Rather than glistening whiteness, grey and rubble.

I just remembered this thread from a couple of years ago which may interest you.

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/expedition+alpine/mer_de_glace_retreat_qu... 

Hmmm.

Quite.

To add to this thread, SGMS data for the year is out today, and it is not good: https://scnat.ch/en/uuid/i/b8d5798e-a75e-5a7d-a858-f7a6613524ed-Two_catastr...

Yes....