Glacier tourism faces big challenges

Global warming has caused glaciers to begin melting. Experts estimate that even in a best-case scenario with climate action, half the world’s glaciers could be gone by 2100. Melting ice makes access easier, but also more risky. Glaciers are becoming more unstable, with cracks appearing more quickly and more rocks and sediment falling.

Inside a glacier in Austria in 2021

There have been several accidents involving glaciers in recent years. Last month, a tourist died when an ice cave collapsed in Iceland. In July 2022, about 64,000 tons of water, rock, and ice broke off from the Marmolada Glacier in Italy, causing an avalanche that killed 11 people. In the summer of 2018, two people died in one day when ice and rock fell on them while hiking on an Alaskan glacier.

'Doomsday Glacier' Could Disintegrate in 3 Years

CNN quoted Dr. Matthias Huss, a glaciologist at ETH Zurich University (Switzerland), saying that the unusually hot spring and summer have caused the glacier to melt. This has created large and hidden cracks that allow water to flow in, increasing pressure on the ice blocks until they collapse. The situation poses a challenge for glacier tourism , as tour companies and local authorities find it difficult to come up with a plan to ensure absolute safety. Dr. Huss said ice hazard assessment technology and early warning systems are improving, but determining where the risks are remains a challenge.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/du-lich-song-bang-truoc-thach-thuc-lon-185240922214145001.htm