Mont Blanc’s snowy crown grows nearly 2 meters higher in 3 years

SAINT-GERVAIS LES BAINS, October 18 ------ France's tallest mountain was nearly two meters higher last month than its last reported measurement in 2023, surveyors said, putting the Alpine peak at 4,807.47 meters (15,772.5 feet).

Mont Blanc's "summit is constantly shifting", said Jean des Garets, chief geometer in the Haute-Savoie department of southeastern France, after announcing the 1.88-metre increase. "Each individual measurement is not significant in itself," in the context of global warming, but it "provides data that will be analyzed over time", he added.

Researchers have been measuring the mountain every two years to three years since 2001, hoping to garner information about the impact of climate change on the Alps. The mountain's rocky peak measures around 4,792 meters above sea level, but its thick covering of ice and snow varies in height from year to year depending on wind and weather.

In 2023, Mont Blanc had shrunk by over two meters compared to two years earlier. The latest measurement is close to those recorded at the end of the 19th century, according to surveyors. Mont Blanc's summit has "not been significantly altered by climate change" for the time being, said glaciologist Luc Moreau at the press conference.

Source: manilatimes.net