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Swiss permafrost warmer than ever before: report

Permafrost in Switzerland is warmer than ever due to persistent hot weather in the past few years, according to government-funded permafrost monitoring organization PERMOS.

Published: 22 February 2016 12:17 CET
Swiss permafrost warmer than ever before: report
Permafrost is monitored in 30 locations in Swizterland. Photo: PERMOS

According to a report published by PERMOS on Monday, 2015 in Switzerland was the hottest year on record.

This, coupled with persistent mild weather in Switzerland over the past few years, led to โ€œexceptionally highโ€ temperatures of Swiss permafrost during the 2014/15 monitoring period.

A permanently frozen part of the ground, permafrost covers around five percent of Switzerland, usually alpine regions above 2,500m, and depends largely on ground temperatures.

Since 2009 ground temperatures in the country have been above average, said the report.

Measurements taken from some 30 locations in Switzerland, including the Murtel-Corvatsch glacier and the Schilthorn, showed that permafrost temperatures reached a new high in 2015.

They also showed an increase of water in the permafrost, a sign of melting.

The elevated temperatures of exposed rockfaces led to an increased number of rockfalls in July and August 2015, said the report.

Hot weather has also affected the speed of glacial movement, which increased by an average of 20 percent compared with the previous year.

Many glaciers can move several metres a year, it added.

The news comes after Switzerland experienced spring-like conditions on Sunday, with a mini heatwave and clear skies leading record numbers to the ski slopes.

MeteoSuisse recorded temperatures of 17.4C in Geneva and 16C in Basel. Even the ski resort of Crans-Montana in the canton of Valais reached 10C.

The good weather and the end of the February school holidays brought record numbers to resorts including Leysin and Verbier, said news agency ATS.

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WEATHER

IN PICTURES: ‘Exceptional’ Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

An "exceptional" dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent's climate monitor said on Monday, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime.

Published: 8 April 2024 14:15 CEST
IN PICTURES: 'Exceptional' Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said the latest plume, the third of its kind in recent weeks, was bringing hazy conditions to southern Europe and would sweep northward as far as Scandinavia.

Mark Parrington, senior scientist at Copernicus, said the latest event was related to a weather pattern that has brought warmer weather to parts of Europe in recent days.

“While it is not unusual for Saharan dust plumes to reach Europe, there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of such episodes in recent years, which could be potentially attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns,” he said.

This latest episode has caused air quality to deteriorate in several countries, Copernicus said.

The European Union’s safe threshold for concentrations of PM10 — coarser particles like sand and dust that that can irritate the nose and throat — has already been exceeded in some locations.

A picture taken on April 8, 2024 shows a rapeseed field under thick sand dust blown in from the Sahara, giving the sky a yellowish appearance near Daillens, western Switzerland. – An “exceptional” dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent’s climate monitor said, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

The worst affected was the Iberian Peninsula in Spain but lesser air pollution spikes were also recorded in parts of Switzerland, France and Germany.

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Local authorities in southeastern and southern France announced that the air pollution threshold was breached on Saturday.

They advised residents to avoid intense physical activity, particularly those with heart or respiratory problems.

The dust outbreak was expected to reach Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia before ending on Tuesday with a shift in weather patterns, Copernicus said.

The Sahara emits between 60 and 200 million tonnes of fine dust every year, which can travel thousands of kilometres (miles), carried by winds and certain meteorological conditions.

The Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa saw just 12 days within a 90-day period from December to February where skies were free of Saharan dust, the local weather agency Aemet had reported.

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