#ticinomoments 2024

10 #ticinomoments
Why are glaciers measured?
Mattia: Measurements provide us with information
that tells us how the landscape is
evolving. The glacier could be described as a
climate change litmus paper, a tangible sign of
how the climate is changing rapidly.
How are glaciers measured?
Mattia: The measurements of the front are
performed once a year, always between August
and September. Using a high-precision GPS
device, I make my way along the front of the
glacier, that is to say at its lowest part, and
around every twenty metres I measure a point
to obtain a line; the front line. This is then
compared to last year’s measurement, showing
us how the length of the glacier has changed.
Giovanni: Meanwhile, I monitor the glacier’s
mass balance. This measurement, which takes
place at various points on the glacier in April
and September, makes it possible to quantify
the variation in a glacier’s mass in metres of
water equivalent.
Apart from the Basòdino, are there
other glaciers in Ticino?
Mattia: Of course. The Basòdino glacier is one
of Ticino’s largest glaciers and was the first to
be measured back in 1892. However, there is
also the Vadrecc di Bresciana (Blenio Valley),
the Valleggia and Corno (Bedretto Valley), the
Tencia glacier (Leventina Valley), which is
little more than a patch of ice today, and the
Cavagnoli (Maggia Valley), which will probably
disappear completely in a few years.
So Ticino’s glaciers are also retreating.
What kind of state are they in?
Giovanni: Not a great one and the current
climate isn’t helping. They have a fairly slow
reaction time and huge amounts of energy are
needed to melt the ice and make it disappear.
Just think, for example, how many hours it
takes to defrost a freezer by unplugging it and
leaving the door open.
Mattia: In actual fact, we’re not measuring
real glaciers in Ticino these days. They no longer
have a glacial dynamic. But there are still
some frozen surfaces, we are monitoring their
retreat. We are seeing less and less snow on
the ice when performing the measurements.
And snow is essential for glaciers to exist.
What surprises you most during
your measurements?
Mattia: Although the reaction time is slow,
the speed of the retreat is considerable. For
example, two years ago some islands of rock
emerged out of the Basòdino glacier: last year
only a small part protruded, while this year
two metres of rock emerged from the ice.
Giovanni: I agree. Given that we cross over
them when mountaineering, we are also
seeing a change in the glacier itself. There are
more crevasses, the ice is breaking up more.
We have to get used to these changes, it is a
challenge to which we will inevitably have to
adapt.
Is there any way to limit the retreat
of the glaciers?
Giovanni: Not at the moment. In some Swiss
regions, particularly in tourist and skiing
areas, they have used tarpaulins (just to delay
their disappearance), but these are only temporary
solutions that do not solve the problem.
The retreat of the Basòdino glacier
is also creating new landscapes…
Mattia: Absolutely. I observe this when taking
measurements: where there was once ice there
are now little flowers and new plants. When
making your way down from the Basòdino
today you come across wonderful, luxuriant
vegetation. The spaces vacated by the glacier
are being colonised.
Giovanni: Nature lives on and presents itself
in other forms. I remember that where there
was ice on a glacier in Engadine fifty years
ago there are now trees with a 30-cm trunk.
However, their dramatic retreat and imminent
disappearance should make us reflect on the
cause: global warming for which we are jointly
responsible.
Is there anything particularly surprising?
Giovanni: Where there were once glaciers
we will soon have lots of little alpine lakes. I
was also able to observe another surprising
scenario in the Bedretto Valley (on the Geren
Pass), where a glacier is turning into a lake
and “icebergs” have emerged from it! Glaciers
continue to surprise me.
Mattia (laughs): There’s definitely good news
for crystal enthusiasts. They will be easier to
find as the glaciers retreat.
Basòdino glaciological trail
Running along the side of the Basòdino
glacier, the highest in Canton Ticino, this
medium-difficulty route allows you to explore
the local natural landscape. A series of
information boards along the way provide
useful details about the flora, fauna, geology
and hydrology of the area around the glacier.
(ticino.ch/basodinotrail)
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