Swiss Alpine ski resorts face 40% drop in snow days
Alpine ski resorts could have 40% fewer snow days per year by the end of the century, with natural snow cover potentially disappearing completely in one in eight resorts worldwide.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Русский
ru
Горнолыжные курорты Швейцарии рискуют остаться без снега?
That is according to a study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. For the study, the research team, led by Veronika Mitterwallner from the University of Bayreuth in Germany, forecasted snow cover in seven major mountain regions worldwide: the Alps in Europe, the Andes, the Appalachian Mountains, the Australian Alps, the Japanese Alps, the Southern Alps in New Zealand and the Rocky Mountains. Gregor Mathes from the University of Zurich was also involved in the study.
“In all major ski regions, a substantial reduction in the number of days with natural snow cover is expected under every emission scenario assessed,” Mitterwallner said in a press release published in the journal.
80 fewer snow days per year
Assuming a strong global warming scenario, no more snow is to be expected in 13% of ski resorts between 2071 and 2100. In 20% of resorts, the number of days with snow cover would be halved.
More
More
How green are the Swiss?
This content was published on
What’s the average carbon footprint in Switzerland? A new survey offers a detailed breakdown of personal CO2 emissions.
In the Alps in Europe, the researchers expect the average number of days with snow cover per year to fall by 42%. According to the study, from 2071 there would be snow on 137 days a year, 80 fewer than the current average.
Ski tourism to move to higher altitudes
Although ski resorts could resort to artificial snowmaking, the economic profitability of many ski resorts worldwide would be negatively impacted, according to the researchers. As a result, a shift of ski tourism to higher altitudes is to be expected – with serious consequences for Alpine flora and fauna.
The findings are in line with the results of previous studies, including one published in the journal Nature Communications in August, which concluded that a third of Swiss ski resorts would be at very high risk of a lack of snow if the climate warmed by 2°C.
More
Debate
Hosted by:
Simon Bradley
Are carbon offsets worth it?
Have you ever paid to offset the carbon emissions from your flight or invested in a carbon offset scheme?
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
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.