The European Alps

There is little knowledge about the topography of glaciers in the mountains. The reconstruction model of the European Alps shows a big difference between glacial topography and modern terrain. The European Alps are formed by the Cretaceous (70 million years ago) and represent a collision between the European plate and the Adriatic plate (Bernet et al. Collisions between the two plates continue today, with an average increase rate of 0.25 km per million years (Bernet et al 2009). Today, the cold weather will make glaciers on the alpine slope of the European Alps.

There is extensive evidence that glaciers retreat in many mountainous areas of the world. The glaciers of the European Alps have lost about 30% to 40% of the surface area and about half of the volume since 1850 (Haeberli and Beniston, 1998). Likewise, New Zealand's Southern Alps glacier has lost 25% of its area over the past 100 years (Chinn, 1996). And since the 1950s glaciers in some parts of Central Asia are retreating (Fitzharris, 1996; Meier, 1998). On three glaciers in the northwestern part of the US Pacific coast, the mean ice growth rate in 7 years from 1989 was higher than any other investigation period (Hodge et al., 1998). Glacier retreat is common in tropical highlands. The glaciers of Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro have been reported to have lost more than 60% of the area of ​​the previous century (Hastenrath and Greischar in 1991, 1997) and accelerated the recession in the Andes mountains in Peru (Mosley-Thompson, 1997)

It is not common in the European Alps, but as a passionate hiker, I have seen a retreat of my powerful ice cap. It is not only ugly, it can also change the climate and water resources of the downstream river region. Once it disappears, ice will not come back. In reality, as population growth and other factors increase, protecting this valuable resource is one of the biggest challenges of our time. We can not fill our heads in sand so we want the progress we have made to help us maintain clean water on the earth.

Transhumance had a big impact on the landscape. For example, in the European Alps, thousands of years of immigration have transformed mountain forests into alpine meadows. Livestock dealers in Switzerland and Germany traditionally bring sheep, cows and pigs to a meadow of 2,500 meters (6,562 feet) altitude. Alps' immigration actually includes three meadows. In the cold and snowing winter, the lowest altitude village is the place where livestock is kept. The shepherd will lead the herd to the middle pasture in the spring. In summer and fall, the shepherd will bring sheep and cows to the alpine pasture.