Italian Glacier covered with white cloth to decelerate melting caused by climate change

Italy’s Presena glacier was recently covered with long strips of cloth to slow down the catastrophic effects of global warming. Located in Northern Italy, Presena has lost over one-third of its volume since 1993. Climate experts believe that about 70 per cent of the snow can be saved over the summer with the protective covering which works in the same way as a silver reflecting guard placed in a car window to stop overheating. 

Atop the glacier and surrounded by stunning wide peaks, a team unfurled 5-metre-wide and 70-metre-long strips to cover some 120,000 square metres of the glacier. The task takes almost a month to complete. The process has been carried out every year since 2008 to stop the glacier from further shrinking. 

The project began when the team used to cover 30,000 square metres. Now, it covers over 100,000 square metres. According to local Italian media outlets, the tarp is made of geotextile tarpaulins that reflect sunlight, maintaining a temperature lower than the external one, and thus preserving as much snow as possible. Situated at an altitude of 3,000 metres, the tarp is laid down every year.

It is meticulously placed across the mountain and sewed shut to prevent hot air from sneaking in. It is then covered with bags of sand to restrict movement. To someone looking from a distance, the sheets look just like snow. 

Clear result of climate change 

Meanwhile, environmentalists are constantly warning the world about the global warming-induced melting of glaciers in Antarctica and the dangers it poses. It is worth noting that Thwaites and the nearby Pine Island Glacier are two of the biggest and fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica. According to a recent study, the rapidly melting Thwaites Glacier already contributes four per cent to the global rise in sea levels and is currently estimated to survive for over half a century before it finally gets dissolved completely. 

Moreover, a record-breaking heatwave in the US northwest and Canada has also reported to have caused the biggest glacier melt in Washington state in a century. Owing to the major issue of global warming, the surface of Iceland's glaciers has also lost around 750 square kilometres (290 square miles), or seven per cent. The land covered by glaciers has decreased by almost 2,200 square kilometres or 18 per cent since 1890. Keeping the current status in mind, professionals have warned that glaciers are at risk of disappearing entirely by 2200.

(Image: Twitter)