Glacier tourism faces major challenges

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

Inside a glacier in Austria in 2021

There have been several glacier-related accidents in recent years. Last month, a tourist died when an ice cave collapsed in Iceland. In July 2022, an avalanche of about 64,000 tons of water, rock and ice broke off from the Marmolada Glacier in Italy, killing 11 people. In the summer of 2018, two people died in one day after falling ice and rocks hit 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 warm spring and summer have caused the glacier to melt. This has created large and hidden cracks that allow water to enter, increasing pressure on the ice until it collapses. This situation poses a challenge for glacier tourism, as tour companies and local authorities find it difficult to ensure absolute safety. Dr. Huss said that 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