Study: spring in Swiss Alps starts earlier and earlier
The earlier appearance of buds is changing Alpine ecosystems and could affect biodiversity, Alpine farming and tourism.
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Study: spring in Swiss Alps starts earlier and earlier
The warming climate is causing Alpine plants to sprout much earlier - on average six days earlier than 25 years ago - a Swiss study shows. This affects biodiversity, agriculture and the ecological balance.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Deutsch
de
Bergfrühling beginnt sechs Tage früher als vor 25 Jahren
Original
The reason for the change is the significant rise in temperatures in the Alps. After the disappearance of snow cover in spring, the ambient temperature is almost two degrees Celsius warmer than it was in 1998, the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF said on Friday. A study by researcher and biologist Michael Zehnder, newly published in the Global Change Biology journal, examines this trend.
More
More
‘Greening’ of the Alps is visible from space
This content was published on
The impact of global warming in the Alps can be seen from space, with vegetation above the tree line having increased in almost 80% of the area.
This phenomenon also has consequences for the economy and society. Not only does it attract visitors to the mountains earlier, but Alpine farming could also start earlier in future.
Change in biodiversity
According to the study, biodiversity in the Alps will also change. Not all plants grow at the same time after the snow melts. The “internal clock” causes some to only sprout when the days have reached a certain length. Others need warmth above all, Zehnder explained.
More
More
Alpine species struggle to keep pace with climate crisis
This content was published on
In the Alps, plants, insects, birds and trees are adapting and moving upwards but not quick enough, new research shows.
Plants that primarily need warmth could displace those that follow the length of the day. “Climate change is reshaping the ecosystem in the mountains,” Zehnder concludes.
For his work, he used 40 weather stations of the Intercantonal Measurement and Information System (IMIS) at 1,700-2,700 metres altitude. These have an ultrasonic sensor that measures the snow depth. In summer, they also measure and record the height of the vegetation.
A special computer model then recognised whether there was snow or plants under the sensor. This enabled Zehnder to see when snow had disappeared and vegetation had started growing. For his study he analysed data from 1998 to 2023.
More
More
How climate change is threatening permafrost’s delicate balance
This content was published on
Permafrost is the hidden frozen “glue” – a layer formed by ice, rock and soil – that holds icy northern landscapes together.
We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.
Did you find this explanation helpful? Please fill out the short survey below to help us understand your needs.
External Content
Popular Stories
More
Aging society
No house generation: the impossibility of buying property in Switzerland
Swiss Abroad elect representatives online for first time
This content was published on
Swiss citizens in 50 countries have used electronic voting for the first time to elect representatives to the Council of the Swiss Abroad for the 2025-2029 legislative.
Nestlé scraps Nutri-Score food label in Switzerland
This content was published on
Nestlé plans to phase out its Nutri-Score nutrition labelling system on products sold in Switzerland. The food giant says it is almost the last company in the country to use it.
Swiss National Bank chairman warns of ‘great insecurity’ caused by US tariffs
This content was published on
The president of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), Martin Schlegel, has warned of the huge financial uncertainties caused by recent US tariffs.
This content was published on
The number of tourist coaches stopping at Schwanenplatz in the centre of Lucerne was down by two-thirds in April, compared to the same month last year.
Swiss-German border regions reaffirm stable Swiss-EU relations
This content was published on
Swiss and German officials have reaffirmed their commitment to stable and sustainable relations between Switzerland and the EU.
Pro-Palestinian protesters end University of Geneva demo
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian protesters who camped out in front of the rector's office at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) left the premises on Thursday evening.
WEF courts Lagarde as next leader after founder’s abrupt exit
This content was published on
Klaus Schwab’s abrupt departure from the World Economic Forum has complicated carefully laid plans to persuade Christine Lagarde to assume the helm in a seamless transition.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.