Glaciers are disappearing, and it snows less and the German Alps are now struggling with climate change, and people feel the effects. Jennifer Collins reports from the highest mountain in the country.
It is unusually warm on the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. Thirty years ago, September would have brought sub-Zero temperatures and the first snow flurries. Today, tourists can discover the bare, snow-free lunar landscape in T-Shirt and Shorts.
It has changed a lot in the past 30 years, says Toni kennel, the is become on of the Zugspitze. The family of the 33-Year-old operates the Munich-based house, a guest house on 2959 meters of altitude, just a few meters below the summit. Since 1925, they are about to receive guests. At that time, only a few intrepid climbers dared up the mountain, today, a steady stream of tourists.
As a Young kennel played in the glaciers and made for a plate of French fries excursions on the Austrian side of the mountain. At the time, he knew almost every one, he says, and wipes her hands on the apron.
Not only with the rest, it’s over. Also the glacier his Childhood are almost gone. The Northern schneeferner is shrunk to 25 per cent, of its volume of 1950. The southern Schneeferner it is even worse. Since only 6 percent left.
Toni kennel family operates an Inn directly under the summit of Germany’s highest mountain. The effects of climate change during the last 30 years, there are clearly felt.
“This year, the hottest that we have measured in the past 25 years,” says the kennel of the DW. He sits in a room in the Inn. Quaint it is here, the walls are wood paneling, thick wooden beams in the ceiling and along the walls. “You can see it at the bottom of the glacier,” he says. “The smaller.”
You could even hear it. In the evening, when calm, rumbles in the mountains. The phenomenon is known. Researchers, investigating on the mountain the effects of climate change, have described it as well.
You explain it so: With rising temperatures, there is less Permafrost, the layer of Sediment, Rock and soil that remains continuously frozen and the mountain rock to stabilize. Along with a measurable increase in rainfall and the stability of the mountains is lost. In the past year alone, this has led to more than one thousand rock falls in the Alps, says Michael herb Blatter, Geology Professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
More: winter sports without snow: ski resorts are gearing up for climate change
“People come here and expect me to tell you something about the future,” says herb Blatter. His research station, the schneefernerhaus is a former Hotel on the mountain slope below the Zugspitze. “Go easy,” he adds. “You will see how the Permafrost over the last 20 years has changed. Climate change is already here.”
The view from the top
For over a decade, herb Blatter comes here to investigate the changes of Permafrost in the mountains of the Zugspitze.
With a small Team of researchers, he loads equipment into a tiny private cable car. For a few days then you are directly on the mountain, climbing gear and climb up the mountain wall.
Electrodes that attach you to the Rock, measure its electrical conductivity. Where the Rock is frozen, this is good, so is herb leaves. This makes it possible to recognize the researchers as the “frozen part of the rock” has changed over time.
Herb Blatter, the device is called this is a picture of a “workhorse”, with the Team’s measurements on the Zugspitze performs
Since 1985, the average temperature has risen to the Zugspitze, to a degree, says the researcher. While the temperatures dropped in January, earlier to minus 20 degrees Celsius, you now only low values of minus 10 or minus 5 degrees.
“It’s not cold enough for Permafrost to survive the summer,” says herb Blatter. In 10 to 15 years, no Permafrost, more will be left. How this development will affect the water resources in the valley below, is also part of his research. Forecasts of the Region can help adjust to the changes and to improve early warning systems for landslides.
More on the topic: glacial melting in the Swiss Alps
Some of the Alps ‘ huts bag already, because the floor moves under you, says the researcher. Also, the anchorages for cableways and other infrastructure you will need to stabilize. Some traditional climbing routes had to be closed for safety reasons.
“I think we need to understand changes in permafrost system very quickly, because the only way it is safe, to understand where things happen and to avoid that people spend time,” says herb Blatter.
Boulders and mud have this part of the mountain after heavy rains in 2016, practically cleared
The view from below
The village of Schwaigen-count Aschau is located directly to the North-East of the research station and the Zugspitze. Landslides have always been a Problem for the small community with about 600 inhabitants. But they are more likely, says mayor Hubert chard, is a hearty man in a short Jeans and kurzärmeligem shirt. He has a bald spot on an otherwise continuously forested slope.
After heavy rains in the year 2016 to have developed a mudslide that rolled over a total area of 30 hectares and a 40-metre high trees have been buried, says Mangold.
“This was the largest Mudslide in Germany. He is, as before,” he says.
Fortunately, no one was injured. The natural disaster caused significant damage to the Bavarian forestry authority and other private forest holdings. For him, no doubt, says Mangold is that the probability is increased for such events due to climate change.
More about: climate change and mass tourism threaten the Alps
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Climate change is threatening winter sports in the Alps
“With climate change. It is no longer raining, but it rains in a short period of time much more violent,” he says, and adds that 80 litres of rain within 30 minutes today, nothing Unusual. “Such quantities, we have not had before.”
Similar observations have also been made by researchers at the nearby Institute for meteorology and climate research in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
“Climate change has a big impact on the snow,” says Harald Kunstmann, the Deputy head of the Institute. “Because of the rainfall, early in the Winter as snow, are now falling mostly as rain. This does not mean that you remain on the ground, but in the Winter, and drain, which increases the risk of Flooding.”
Is sausage kennel of the family in 30 years on the Zugspitze sell?
Looking to the future
Art man is trying to use computer models to predict how the Alpine region is changing due to climate change by 2050. Until the middle of the century, the Region predicts 20 per cent more rain.
The world should retain their current rate and global warming is not, as in the case of the climate conference 2015 in Paris decided on the 2 degree limit, then the temperatures could rise in the mountains to 4 degrees, says art man. It was in the past. Temperatures in the Alps have increased twice as fast as the global average. Why this is so, is not clearly explain.
Should the pre-meet say, one thing is clear: The Alps will change in regard to snow, glaciers, Flora and Fauna and also the rock itself – enormous. Whether traditional businesses such as Toni kennel Inn, which has existed for almost a century, weathering the change, remains open.
Looks beautiful, can feel the climate change, but still: the Zugspitze
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!Germany’s highest construction site
50 million euros have been invested. No other cable car in the world with more than 3200 meters of distance from the support to the mountain station a larger distance. She has support with 127 meters of the world’s highest Steel. The gondolas cope on a total length of 4.5 kilometers and a height difference of almost 2000 meters. The technical world records.
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!The first of the new gondola
Adorned with the white Silhouette of the Wetterstein massif, the new gondolas promise more comfort and a view. 120 passengers. Per hour, the new cable car will bring up to 600 people to the summit. If the floor-glazed cabin is rolling at high speed across the sole support of a adrenaline-Kick on the ten minute drive.
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!The new mountain station
For three years engineers and technicians have worked on the new cable car. At the mountain station but built still. So you should look again: three stories and glazed all around to rise with the railway engineering building and the panorama restaurant. The amount of noise arises in the future, when A – and get Off: The mountain station hangs 30 meters above the abyss.
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!Is after 54 years
On the Austrian side, already in 1926, drove a cable car up to the Zugspitze crest on 2805 meters. In 1963, Bayern übertrumpften but the competition: The Eibsee cable car, brought since then, over 21 million guests even at 2960 meters. In the spring of 2017 your last gondola drove into the valley. It counts the kilometres travelled, explored the old cabins, more than 76 Times the earth!
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!Around the Eibsee
According to him, the old cable car was named. At the base station in an altitude of 1000 meters in the Caribbean is grace at the end of mountain lake. It is named after the yew-trees, the him formerly more numerous einrahmten than it is today. Around the lake, with its eight Islands in the crystal clear water of Hiking trails. Also with the mountain bike, the area can be explored.
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!The summit cross
In the course of the construction work for the new cable car to the Golden summit cross had been damaged in may 2017 by a crane. The chain of the crane had torn down some of the Golden rays of the cross. A part had fallen into the deep, but could be salvaged. On 6. December 2017, has been brought up in a spectacular action, the 4.88 meters high landmark of the Zugspitze back in its place.
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!Panorama
These views annually attracts over half a Million visitors. In clear weather the view over 400 peaks sweeps. Mountaineers know their names, or just in the App in the “Zugspitze” in the AR summit viewer to look in. However, many tourists only the sun and the magnificent view over Germany, Austria-rich, simply, the Swiss Alps, to the Dolomites in Italy.
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!Zugspitzplatt
As a true winter Paradise and the perfect winter sports arena, the Zugspitz region, there are still plenty of natural snow. Often, the season for skiing and tobogganing pleasure lasts on the glacier until may. As early as this Winter, the snow has fallen, however, in recent years, rare. The Alps are already suffering from the harbingers of climate change.
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!Alternative Gear Train
Only by the Zugspitze railway to the highest summit of Germany could be to a tourist’s Paradise. Since 1930, the mountain railway guests from Garmisch-Partenkirchen up to the glacier. The last meters to the Zugspitz plateau bridged by a short Gondola. With the historical cog railway station, the journey takes approximately 75 minutes. In the summer, many hikers use this route to the summit.
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Cable car to the Zugspitze – that is the summit!Germany’s highest beer garden
Most of the guests come in the summer on the Zugspitze. On the cable car operators. According to the Motto “mountain experience for all” will also come up more passengers with disabilities to the summit. Up to 600,000 people in the year to promote the barrier-free cable car, and at least 50 to 60 years. If there is still snow-covered peaks of the Alps, is uncertain.