internationalmountainday

[internationalmountainday]

Glaciers in the Alps have lost a striking 10% of their volume during the last two years.

The 2023 European State of the Climate (ESOTC) report highlights that in 2023, much of Europe saw fewer snow days than average, particularly in the Alps. Coupled with high summer temperatures in the region, this resulted in exceptional glacier ice loss in the Alps. In fact, glaciers in all parts of Europe saw a net loss of ice in 2023.

Glaciers in the Alps have lost a striking 10% of their volume during the last two years.

Much of Europe experienced fewer days with snow than average in 2023, particularly across central Europe and the Alps during winter and spring.

Southwestern Scandinavia saw close-to or above-average snow day anomalies in many locations during winter and spring.

Glaciers in all parts of Europe saw a net loss of ice in 2023.

The Alps saw exceptional glacier ice loss in 2023, linked to below-average winter snow accumulation and strong summer melt due to heatwaves.

In the last two years, glaciers in the Alps have lost around 10% of their volume.

The cryosphere encompasses all parts of the Earth system where water is in solid form, including ice sheets, glaciers, snow cover, permafrost and sea ice. In this section, we focus on snow cover and glaciers across Europe. More information about sea ice can be found in the ‘Arctic Ocean’ section, and long-term trends in sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers are also covered from a global and European perspective in the climate indicators.

Snow is an Essential Climate Variable, playing an important role in the climate system due to its high albedo, thermal insulation, and contribution to soil moisture and runoff. Changes in snow cover can impact many other aspects of the Earth system, from temperatures to glacier melt, to river flow, flooding and droughts.

Changes in glacier mass balance are directly linked to climate change and are important for climate system monitoring. For example, glacier melt contributes to runoff and to sea level rise. Over the last few decades, glaciers around the globe have been experiencing mass loss, and the European Alps is one of the regions where glaciers are shrinking the most.

Snow days

WINTER

SPRING

AUTUMN

Figure 1a. (Left) Number of snow days in winter 2023. (Right) Anomalies in the number of snow days during winter 2023, relative to the average for the 1991–2020 reference period. Shades of grey indicate more snow days than average; shades of green indicate fewer snow days than average. Locations with a close-to-average (within +/- five days) number of snow days are not shown. Winter covers the period December 2022 to February 2023. Data source: ECA&D[1]. Credit: C3S/ECMWF/KNMI.

Much of Europe saw above-average precipitation and warmer-than-average temperatures during 2023, with the exception of Scandinavia. Here, temperatures were generally below average in spring and autumn. Precipitation and temperatures both saw marked variations throughout the year. This is discussed further in the ‘Precipitation’ and ‘Temperature’ sections.

For Fennoscandia, a combination of several months of above-average precipitation and cooler-than-average temperatures led to many locations seeing a near-average or higher-than average number of snow days. During winter, spring and autumn, most parts of southwestern Scandinavia saw 10 to 20 more snow days than average. In winter, some parts of northern Scandinavia near the west coast saw up to 15 more snow days than average, while others further inland saw as many as 89 fewer snow days than average. A similar pattern was seen in spring, with locations near the western coast seeing positive anomalies of up to five days, while others further north and inland saw far fewer snow days than average.

With a few exceptions, the rest of Europe generally saw a well-below average number of snow days during winter, and a close-to (within five days) or below-average number during spring. In the Alps in winter, just three locations saw more snow days than average (11–19), while most saw far fewer than average. Several locations saw anomalies ranging from -10 to -30, but in a few locations there were 76 to 89 fewer snow days than average. This equates to almost the entire winter without snow. In central Europe, many locations saw between 5 and 20 fewer snow days than average in spring. This number reached up to 37 at one location in the Alps and up to 83 in northern Italy. Several stations recorded a well-below average number of snow days during both winter and spring.

During autumn, several locations across central Europe saw a below-average number of snow days, related to the warmer-than-average temperatures.

A lack of snow during winter and spring has implications for conditions later in the year. For example, together with heatwaves and higher-than-average temperatures, it can contribute to drought conditions. Snowmelt during spring and summer is an important source of water for many of Europe’s rivers. Positive anomalies in the number of snow days can be beneficial for hydropower and soil moisture, for example, but fast snowmelt due to increasing temperatures can lead to risks of flooding and avalanches.

Snow is also an important factor influencing glacier melt. In Europe, glaciers accumulate snow during winter and spring, and snow cover can delay melting of glacier ice in spring and summer by increasing the albedo of the glaciers. A lack of snow at the start of the year combined with warmer-than-average temperatures can result in increased mass loss from glaciers.

Glaciers

EUROPE

CENTRAL EUROPE

SCANDINAVIA

ICELAND

Figure 2a. Mass change of glaciers across Europe for the 2022–2023 hydrological year (1 October 2022–30 September 2023). Annual mass change values are given in the unit ‘metre water equivalent (m w.e.)’, representing a glacier-wide average of 1000 kg m-2 and, accounting for ice density, corresponding to 1.1 m of ice thickness. Positive balances (increase of ice) are indicated in blue and negative balances (loss of ice) are indicated in red. Data source: WGMS. Credit: WGMS.

Glacier changes are measured in hydrological years, accounting for the seasons of accumulation and melt. In Europe, the hydrological year starts on 1 October with the winter accumulation season and finishes on 30 September of the following year with the end of the summer melt season.

During the 2022–23 hydrological year, glaciers in all European regions saw a loss of ice[2]. In some regions, this is in contrast to 2022, which saw a slight increase in the mass of glaciers in southwestern Scandinavia and Iceland. Despite the cooler-than-average summer temperatures and above-average number of winter snow days during 2023 in southwestern Scandinavia, summer melt likely exceeded any slight gain in mass during the accumulation season.

The Alps is one of the regions of the world where glaciers are receding most rapidly, alongside Iceland, the southern Andes, Alaska, western Canada and western parts of the USA. 2023 was another exceptional year of ice loss in the Alps, following the record ice loss in 2022, due to below-average winter accumulation and strong summer melt. Above-average temperatures across the region during January to March likely resulted in precipitation falling as rain rather than snow. Many locations across the region saw far fewer snow days than average, with associated lower-than average glacier accumulation.

Figure 3. (Top) Surface solar radiation anomalies (W/m2) for June, July, August and September 2023, relative to the respective monthly average for the 1991–2020 reference period. Data source: CM SAF SARAH-3. Credit: DWD/EUMETSAT CM SAF. (Bottom) Average surface air temperature anomalies (°C) for June, July, August and September 2023, relative to the average for the 1991–2020 reference period.

Above-average temperatures during the summer, including an exceptionally warm period in August, and well-above-average temperatures during September, increased glacier melt in the Alps during the melt season. For Europe as a whole, September also had the most pronounced surface solar radiation anomaly for the year, of 12 W/m2 above average, and sunshine duration of 35 hours above average. In the Alps, June also saw strong positive anomalies of surface solar radiation, of up to 65 W/m2. More information on sunshine duration, surface solar radiation and cloud cover is given in the ‘Solar and clouds’ section. While the end of September marks the end of the typical melt season, and the hydrological year, when the data for 2023–24 are analysed, warm temperature anomalies in October are likely to be found to have impacted the start of the winter accumulation period.

In Switzerland, glaciers lost 4% of their ice volume during 2023, following a loss of 6% in 2022, which was a record year for ice loss in the Alps as a whole. This means that, in the last two years, glaciers in the Alps have lost around 10% of their volume[3].

More information on long-term changes in glaciers across the world can be found in the ‘Glaciers’ climate indicator.

#alps mountains #glaciers #snow cover #europe #state of the climate #glacier ice loss #snow & glaciers #esotc

[internationalmountainday]

Restoring mountain ecosystems is the theme chosen to observe this year's International Mountain Day on December 11th.

UNFCCC COP 28 / Food and Agriculture Pavilion event - Restoring mountain ecosystems - International Mountain Day 2023

#food and agriculture organization (fao) #mountains #11 december #international mountain day #restoring mountain ecosystems #mountain partnership #events #cop28

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Agenda Programme of the High level event to mark the International Mountain Day 2023 "Restoring Moutain Ecosystems."

Moderator | Rosalaura Romeo, Coordinator, Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

14.00 – 14.30: Greetings and remarks. Video launch: “Restoration in mountains”

QU Dongyu, Director-General, FAO

H.E. Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, United Arab Emirates (TBC)

Nurlan Aitmurzaev, Special Envoy of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on Mountain Issues, Ambassador, Kyrgyzstan

Carles Miquel, Director for Energy and Transportation, Secretary of State for Energy Transition, Transportation and Mobility, Andorra

Francesco Corvaro, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy

Bruno Pozzi, Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division, United Nations Environment Programme

14.30 – 14.50 - Fireside chat on mountain knowledge and resilience.

Nikki Santos, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Center for Native American Youth, Mountain Partnership Goodwill Ambassador, United States of America

Tara Gujadhur, Co-Director, Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, Lao People’s Democratic Republic

14.50 – 14.55 - Sustainable mountain development for future generations. 14.55 – 15.00 - Closing remarks - Manan Nailwal Girish Chander, Student, Jumeirah College, United Arab Emirates, participant of the Zero Water Day Partnership - Rosalaura Romeo, Coordinator, MPS, FAO

IMD2023 Agenda Programme.

#Mountain partnership #mountain ecosystems #restoring mountain ecosystems #events #food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao) #11 december #international mountain day #mountains #COP 28 #united arab emirates

[internationalmountainday]

SPAIN - Excursion to enjoy the natural environment within a Natural Park and Biosphere Reserve.

.We will walk up Tagamanent Hill to see the nativity scene, to celebrate International Mountain Day. Donations will be collected in favor of TV3's La Marató. Information and donations at lesguilles.cat

Les Guilles Anem al Turó Tagemanent a Portar el Pessebre (The Guills go to the Tagamanent Hill to Bring the Manger) 17/12/2023 Tagamanent, Spain

#Tagamanent Hill #international mountain day #11 december #restoring mountain ecosystems #mountain ecosystems #events #spain #trekking #mountaineers #Mountain Natural Park #Biosphere Reserve #Youtube

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INDIA - Celebration of the International Mountain Day 2023 With School Students.

Giripremi & its training institute GGIM are celebrating International Mountain Day 2023 with school students of Pune to raise awareness about mountain restoration among the youth. The GGIM is the brainchild of India’s leading mountaineering club Giripremi and for the past many years, Giripremi in association with GGIM has been celebrating International Mountain Day on 11 December 2023. This year, the celebration will happen with a theme - ‘Restoring the Mountain Ecosystems’. Under this theme, we have developed a nice short video clip to create awareness among students about the importance of mountains and their ecosystem. Additionally, to make the programme more interesting, we are showing two thrilling documentaries of Giripremi's recent Himalayan expeditions. We are collaborating with at least 50 schools in our city and showing them films to create awareness for mountain restoration.

Celebrate International Mountain Day With School Students 11/12/2023 - 11/12/2023 Pune, India.

#international mountain day #11 december #food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao) #india #events #restoring mountain ecosystems #school students #mountain ecosystems #Giriprem #film screening

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PORTUGAL - Formação, conhecimento e Experiência.

Dia Internacional da Montanha: Formação, conhecimento e Experiência 11/12/2023 - 11/12/2023 Covilhã, Portugal

Workshop (Serra da Estrela)

8h30 | Partida Covilhã (Rotunda do Rato) 

9h00 | Caminhada Serra da Estrela * 

* Os participantes devem trazer roupa e calçado adequado, água e reforço alimentar.

   Caso as condições climatéricas sejam adversas, o programa será ajustado e os participantes devidamente informados.

13h00 | Regresso Covilhã

Comunicações & Debate (Auditório Municipal)

14h30 | A Montanha, uma forma de vida

-José Saraiva, Presidente da ASE -Associação Amigos da Serra da Estrela -Rúben Antunes, Guia de Trekking Nomad 

15h30 | O papel das IES na formação e regulação das Atividades Desportivas e de lazer de Montanha

-Francisco do Adro; Coordenador do Gabinete UNITA | UBI Jorge Casanova; Esc. Superior de Educação, Comunicação e Desporto | IPG - Luís Carvalhinho; Esc. Superior de Desporto de Rio Maior | IPS António Brandão ; Esc. Superior de Desporto e Lazer | IPVC - Luís Quaresma; Dep. de Ciências do Desporto, exercício e saúde | UTAD Sérgio Figueiredo; Dep. de Ciências Desporto | UBI

16h30 | Intervalo

17h00 | Mesa redonda (Moderadora: Kelly 0’Hara | UBI )

18h00 | Encerramento 

#Dia Internacional da Montanha #Montanha #eventos #portugal #Trekking #ASE -Associação Amigos da Serra da Estrela #11 december #international mountain day

[internationalmountainday]

ITALY - Health in Healthy Mountains.

The new greater attention towards the environment and the desire and need to spend more time in nature are the reasons why many people go to the mountains and choose sustainable tourism.

Mountain tourism operators and mountain healthcare staff must know that everyone can have their own mountain.  Moreover, mountains are a place to improve our health. The department of Sport Medicine of San Candido, a mountain hospital, offers this evaluation and the collaboration with the colleagues that work in urban areas to give the opportunity to all to enjoy mountains. On 11 December, International Mountain Day, the Tourism Office and the Department of Sport Medicine of San Candido Hospital, in collaboration with the Laboratory of Sport Physiology, invite the tourism operators and healthcare staff to attend the meeting “Mountains for All. Physical evaluation and Safety”.

Health in Healthy Mountains 11/12/2023 - 12/12/2023 San Candido, Italy

#healthy mountains matter #food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao) #international mountain day #11 december #Italy #department of Sport Medicine #events #mountain healthcare staff #Mountain tourism operators

[internationalmountainday]

Everest Invaders - Storming the world's highest rubbish dump.

This year we celebrate 70 years since the conquest of Everest, by Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay;

Reinhold Messner, the first to have climbed the 14 peaks of more than 8 000 metres without oxygen, notes that the mountains are transforming before our eyes into an immense sports field. Mountaineering would have become a consumer good like any other. I returned to the slopes of this mountain and noticed the invasion of the tallest trash can in the world. An invasion which is spreading across all 8 000 metres of the Himalayas. New mountaineers are urbanizing the mountains.

Everest Invaders - Storming the world's highest rubbish dump 11/12/2023 - 11/12/2023 Courchevel, France.

#mountaineers #urbanizing the mountains #France #international mountain day #11 december #Mountaineering #film screening #events #Vimeo

[internationalmountainday]

GERMANY - Public lecture on ''Avalanches - once fateful, now usually easy to predict.''

In the past, avalanches were often viewed as fateful and beyond human control. We now know a wide variety of influencing factors that affect the snow cover and determine the danger of avalanches. With a little knowledge and caution, you can often avoid dangerous situations, so that enjoyment in the winter mountains is more important than the fear of avalanches. The public lecture briefly addresses the historical perspective of avalanches. In addition, the most important basics of snow and avalanche knowledge are covered, and some lessons from previous winters based on selected avalanche accidents are taught. The aim is to heighten awareness of possible avalanche danger before the coming winter season and to provide information about important innovations from avalanche warning services.

Lawinen - einst schicksalshaft, nun meist gut einschätzbar (Avalanches - once fateful, now usually easy to predict) 11/12/2023 - 11/12/2023 Sonthofen, Germany.

#mountain regions #avalanche danger #avalanche accidents #Germany #public lecture #international mountain day #11 december

[internationalmountainday]

Lecture on "Restoring Mountain Ecosystems".

Discussion of Alpine region that has been badly affected by climate change; 10% of its glacier volume has disappeared in the last five years. 

Public Lecture -Protecting fragile mountain ecosystems. 11/12/2023 11/12/2023 Wappingers Falls, United States of America

#international mountain day #11 december #mountain areas #mountain ecosystems #restoring mountain ecosystems #glacier volume #climate change #Alpine region #Public lecture

[internationalmountainday]

Festival e Concorso del Cortometraggio di Montagna Milano.

Il Festival Video/Concorso e la premiazione.

Festival e Concorso del Cortometraggio di Montagna Milano 11/12/2023 Milano, Italia

#Montagna #Concorso #Cortometraggio #Milano #international mountain day #11 december #italia #events #food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao)

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INDIA - International symposium on International Mountain Day2023.

Globetrekkers Conservation Adventure and Trekking Society is a Mountain partner of FAO. We are delighted to host a symposium on the day of December 11th in observation with the International Mountain day in the subject of Restoration of Mountain Ecosystem. The details of the online event will be shared at the earliest and we expect many international delegates in the meeting.

International symposium on International Mountain Day 11/12/2023 11/12/2023 Online - India.

#international mountain day #11 december #mountain ecosystems #restoring mountain ecosystems #symposium #India #Trekking Society #Globetrekkers Conservation Adventure

[internationalmountainday]

Participate to the International Mountain Day 2023 celebrations around the world!

Worldwide events to mark IMD2023.

#international mountain day #11 december #food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao) #restoring mountain ecosystems #mountain ecosystems #mountain areas #events

[internationalmountainday]

High-level event at the UNFCCC COP 28 entitled "Restoring mountain ecosystems."

The International Mountain Day high-level event will feature high-level speakers, youth and Indigenous Peoples who will share their perspectives on addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation in mountain regions.  

Restoring mountain ecosystems - high-level event at the UNFCCC COP 28.

Monday, 11 December 2023. 14.00–15.00 GST (GMT +4). Food and Agriculture Pavilion, UNFCCC COP 28, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

#international mountain day #11 december #mountain areas #un environment #restoring mountain ecosystems #mountain ecosystems #cop28 #Mountain partnership #event #Youtube

[internationalmountainday]

Sharing knowledge throughout the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: Good practices for the restoration of mountain ecosystems.

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat and the FAO-led UN Decade Task Force on Best Practices will host a technical session to showcase and share good practices for restoration of mountain ecosystems applied by four countries.

Wednesday, 13 December 2023 14.30-16.00 CET Online via Zoom

Learn more

#Mountain Partnership #international mountain day #11 december #Technical sesion #mountain ecosystems #restoring mountain ecosystems #task force on best practices

[internationalmountainday]

Restoring mountain ecosystems.

The theme of the International Mountain Day, “Restoring mountain ecosystems”, aims to increase awareness about the crucial role of mountains for people and the planet, calls for nature-based solutions, and seeks to fully include mountains in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030, co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). 

#nature-based solutions #international mountain day #11 december #Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 #Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) #un environment

[internationalmountainday]

International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development - FAO Turkey / Boğaziçi University

Boğaziçi University Department of Tourism Management and Applied Tourism Administration and Research Center propose to organize an event in partnership with FAO Türkiye and Mountain Partnership. It will be an informative event that aims to increase awareness on Women in mountaneous areas.

International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development - FAO Turkey / Boğaziçi University 16/12/2022 - 16/12/2022 Istanbul (Boğaziçi University), Türkiye

#turkey #Mountain partnership #FAO Türkiye #women in mountains #international mountain day