Here's Why People Are Resorting to Wrapping a Glacier in Blankets

[Judi Lynn]

Snuggly, yet cool.


BRAD JONES, FUTURISM
9 MAR 2018

Over the last decade, the Rhone Glacier in the Swiss Alps has been shrinking at a worrying rate. Around 1,148 feet (350 metres) of its ice thickness has been lost since 1856 – and 131 feet (40 metres) of that total has vanished in the last 10 years alone.

Locals are taking it upon themselves to do something about this situation. This summer, they will continue a tradition that has stood for the last eight years: wrapping the glacier in blankets, in an attempt to reduce how much ice will melt away.

The idea is that the white canvas blankets will be able to reflect sunlight away from the glacier. This might sound outlandish, but it's having a positive effect.

Glaciologist David Volken told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the blankets can reduce the amount of ice that melts by around 70 percent, according to a report from NDTV.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-why-people-are-resorting-to-wrapping-a-glacier-in-blankets

[cilla4progress]

1. I

came up with this idea.

[WhiteTara]

2. I saw a news segment about this a few years ago

when they first began to experiment with this. I'm glad to see it is working because we need to be doing many many more things on the same scale.

[unblock]

3. Didnt Christo do this once as an art installation?