The Rhône Glacier in Switzerland in August 2001 and August 2024, based on false-color imagery from the Landsat 7 and 8 satellites. (Credit: NASA)
In Europe and around the globe, melting glaciers are transforming both landscapes and national borders. In this article, Elzė Buslavičiūtė and Dr. Laurynas Jukna, researchers at the Institute of Geosciences of Vilnius University, discuss space-based observations of this phenomenon.
While glaciers in the Alps have been retreating since the end of the Ice Age, the pace of their melting has accelerated in recent decades due to human-induced global warming. According to the long-term observations by Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS), the area of glaciers in the Swiss Alps decreased from 1,311 km² in 1973 to 961 km² in 2016. This represents a loss of almost 350 km² of glacial area in under half a century. Such large-scale monitoring is based on archival aerial and satellite imagery.
NASA’s Landsat mission, which has been monitoring the Earth since 1972, has provided invaluable data on glacier loss. False-color Landsat satellite images showcase the heavily visited Rhône Glacier and the source of the Rhône River in Switzerland. The accompanying image, comprising near infrared, red and green bands, highlights glaciers in bluish-white tones, while the surrounding vegetation appears red. A comparison of the images taken in August 2001 and August 2024 reveals a striking reduction in the area covered by the glacier.
The implications of melting glaciers go beyond ecological concerns—this phenomenon also has geopolitical consequences. Significant sections of the borders between Italy, Switzerland, and Austria are defined by watershed lines that run along the highest mountain ridges.
As glaciers melt or mountain peaks collapse, the established natural boundaries between countries can shift. In 2006, Italy and Austria signed an agreement allowing their shared border to be redrawn in response to shifting mountain ridges. Similarly, the border between Italy and Switzerland has also become subject to adjustment: for instance, in 2024, the melting of the Matterhorn Glacier shifted the mountain’s highest point toward Italy, thereby slightly expanding Switzerland’s territory.
