A rocky path between two glaciers has emerged in the Alps of Switzerland, amid unprecedented rising temperatures in Europe this summer, which is the hottest recorded. The ski resort "Glacier 3000" in western Switzerland announced that the path is appearing for the first time in at least 2000 years. It noted that this year's glacier melt was about three times the ten-year average, allowing rocks to be seen between the glaciers "Six Rouge" and "Tsanfleuron" at an altitude of 2800 meters, with the path expected to be fully exposed by the end of this month.
Mauro Fischer, a glaciologist at the University of Bern's geography institute, commented that "ten years ago, we measured (the altitude of) 15 meters of ice here, and all that ice has melted since." He added regarding the speed of melting, "What we observed this year is indeed exceptional and truly surpasses anything we have measured before."
Since last winter, during which there was relatively little snowfall, the Alps have experienced two major heat waves in early summer. Data shows that the glaciers in the Alps are now on track for their largest mass loss in at least 60 years.
**Unprecedented Heat Wave**
Several European countries have experienced record heat, with temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius in the United Kingdom for the first time. The heat wave turned rivers across the continent into alarming sights, as the Rhine in Germany evaporated day by day. The British government declared the River Thames to be dry for the first time in modern history, while water has already vanished from parts of the Po River in Italy.
Scientists have been warning for years that global warming, primarily driven by unrestrained fossil fuel consumption, makes climate changes harsher. The consequences of global warming have not only affected Europe but also manifested in 2022 in the lives of billions, exemplified by deadly floods in Pakistan, heavy rains in the United States, and heat waves and drought in China.
