High in the snowy Alps, it’s not just the ski season that’s being affected by climate change.
In fact, Swiss and Italian authorities have had to redraw a section of their 359-mile border.
The problem is due to melting glaciers, which are changing the location of the highest part of the border, where the border has traditionally been drawn.
The corresponding section of the border runs under the Matterhorn, one of the highest mountains in Europe, known for its crude pyramidal shape.
Here, temperatures are rising at about 0.3°C (0.54°F) per decade, about twice as fast as the global average.
Along the border are glaciers: accumulations of ice and snow that flow slowly over high, steep peaks of land. The border runs along a drainage divide, the point at which meltwater will flow down both sides of the mountain toward one country or the other. But due to the melting of Europe’s glaciers, the location of this drainage divide has changed.
The corresponding section of the border passes under the Matterhorn, one of the highest mountains in Europe (pictured)
“Large sections of the border are defined by watersheds or glacial ridges, firm or perpetual snow,” the Swiss government said in a statement.
“These formations are changing due to melting glaciers.”
The border between Switzerland and Italy measures approximately 359 miles (578 kilometers), of which about 25 miles (40 kilometers) are covered by glaciers.
The section being redesigned is reportedly 328 feet (100 meters) and lies beneath the Matterhorn, the impressive pyramidal peak and one of the highest mountains in Europe.
Along this part of the border are glaciers: accumulations of ice and snow that flow slowly over high, steep peaks of land.
The border runs along a drainage divide, the point at which meltwater will flow down both sides of the mountain toward one country or the other.
But due to the melting of Europe’s glaciers due to higher temperatures, the location of this drainage divide has changed, so the official border also has to move.
Officials said the adjustment was made along Plateau Rosa, the Carrel hut and Gobba di Rollin, which are near the Matterhorn.
Diplomatic negotiations ended with an agreement to change this section of the border, but for now many of the specific details remain secret.
The border between Switzerland and Italy measures approximately 359 miles (578 kilometers), of which about 25 miles (40 kilometers) are covered by glaciers.
Several popular ski resorts in Switzerland and Italy are located near the area, which may have implications for mountain lodges and other refuges.
For example, there are concerns that more glacier drainage will reach businesses, which could have safety implications.
The two nations have been aware of the problem for years, but it was not until 2023 that a joint Italian-Swiss commission accepted the new drawing.
Switzerland officially approved the change on Friday, although Italy has not yet done the same.
While it is unclear how far the border will move, or whether it will move towards Switzerland or Italy, more details will emerge once both nations have signed the agreement.
Switzerland’s glaciers lost 2.4 percent of their volume over the past year, and sand washed down from the Sahara accelerated summer melt. Pictured, Gletsch in the Swiss Alps, September 30, 2024.
It is not the first time that the border between Italy and Switzerland has been modified.
In 2000, in Furggsattel, Zermatt, the border was also rewritten, after a glacier moved between 328 and 492 feet (100 to 150 meters), News from heaven information.
The change meant that a chairlift station that was previously in Italy was now in Switzerland.
In the Alps, glaciers have lost 10 percent of their remaining volume in the past two years, according to the European Union’s Copernicus service.
Glaciers will lose half of their ice by 2050 even if the planet warms by less than 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels, according to a recent study published in the European Geosciences Union.