DNA tests have affirmed that the body recently discovered on a glacier near the world-renowned Matterhorn Peak is that of a German mountaineer who vanished 37 years ago. The individual was a 38-year-old German who disappeared in September 1986. In spite of searches conducted at that time, the missing hiker was not found. The body was detected on the Theodul Glacier close to the Italian border on July 12. It was transported to a nearby hospital for analysis, where genetic tests validated the man’s identity. However, further information about the climber’s identity or the conditions of his death was not provided by the police.
The Hidden Consequences of Global Warming
The frequency of such startling discoveries has risen in recent years, as increasing glacier melting, a phenomenon many scientists attribute to global warming, exposes the remains of hikers, skiers, and other Alpinists who went missing decades ago. This global melting has led to the unearthing of bodies and even a plane lost in the Alps decades ago. In August 2017, Italian mountain rescue crews recovered the remains of hikers on a glacier on Mont Blanc’s southern face, likely from the 1980s or 1990s. A few key discoveries include:
- In July 2017, the remains of a frozen couple who went missing 75 years prior in Switzerland were revealed by a shrinking glacier.
- In 2016, the bodies of a renowned mountain climber and expedition cameraman, buried in a Himalayan avalanche in 1999, were exposed by a partially melting glacier.
- In 2015, the remains of two Japanese climbers who disappeared on the Matterhorn in a 1970 snowstorm were found and their identities were confirmed through DNA testing.
Unprecedented Glacier Melting Rates
Swiss climatologists and other experts attribute the accelerated melting rates of the country’s glaciers to human-induced climate change. Swiss glaciers experienced their worst melt rate in 2022 since records began, losing 6% of their volume that year. This figure was nearly double the previous record in 2003. The melting was so severe that it revealed bare rock that had been covered for thousands of years.
Switzerland, with 1,400 glaciers, possesses the highest number in Europe, representing approximately half of all European Alps glaciers. Research has shown that since the early 1930s, the country’s glaciers have lost more than half of their total volume, exceeding scientists’ predictions for their shrinkage rate. If this trend continues, nearly all Alpine glaciers could vanish by the end of the century.
The Implications of Glacial Melting
The disappearance of glaciers will have cascading impacts if the melting trend continues. Glaciers play an indispensable role in providing fresh water for nearly 2 billion people. Their melting could contribute to sea level rise. “Some regions of the world are much more dependent on the glacier mountains than we are here – in some cases they are much more vulnerable than the Alps,” Glaciologist Lindsey Nicholson at the University of Innsbruck, in Austria told CNN.
In conclusion, while the melting of glaciers is unveiling secrets long concealed beneath the snow, it is also highlighting the urgent need for effective measures to combat climate change. Our glaciers are more than just frozen water; they are crucial for life on Earth and hold invaluable historical information within their icy depths.
