Mont Blanc, Western Europe’s tallest mountain, has shrunk more than seven feet (2.2m) over the past two years, marking its lowest point since precise measurements began 22 years ago. Researchers attribute this significant drop to warmer summers shrinking the mountain’s snowpack.
A team of topographers who recently held a news conference in Chamonix reported that the mountain now stands at 4,805.59 meters (15,766 ft), a decrease of 2.22 meters from the 4,807.81 meters (15,773 ft) recorded in September 2021.
Cecile Taffin, a representative of the UNGE surveyors union, highlighted that Mont Blanc’s peak is dynamic, much like a sand dune. She pointed out that while height variations over two meters aren’t unprecedented, this year’s significant drop is likely due to insufficient rain and a particularly hot summer.
Since the initiation of precise GNSS satellite measurements in September 2001, Mont Blanc’s height has remained relatively stable, peaking at a record 4,810.90 meters (15,783.79 ft) in 2007. However, since 2013, when it stood at 4,810.02 meters, there has been a notable declining trend.
The mountain’s rocky peak reaches up to 4,792 meters, but its height varies depending on its snowpack. Typically, this snowpack grows during summer, as rain falling on the mountain’s summit converts to snow. However, this year has been an anomaly. Farouk Kadded of Leica Geosystems indicated that for the first time since annual measurements began in 2015, the snowpack in September had virtually no change from its state in June.
He emphasized the unusual weather conditions, stating, “Mont Blanc generally gains one meter from June to September. However, this rise was absent this summer, with several days experiencing positive temperatures, even recording a high of 10 degrees Celsius.”
While the topographers have presented their findings, they’ve deferred interpretation of the data to climate change specialists, expecting them to provide theories elucidating this alarming phenomenon.
Given the current patterns, Kadded expressed skepticism about the mountain regaining its lost height in the forthcoming years, noting, “There is a significant variation year on year, but the overarching trend appears to be a downward one.”
