Norwegian glacier faces disappearance within 8 years, prompting scientists to propose solution

A project to preserve the melting glacier on Mount Gallhepiggen, the highest point in the Scandinavian Mountains, may be implemented using artificial snow, according to a report from Kazinform citing the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) and Belarusian news agency BELTA.

The initiative comes from Per Arne Vold, manager of the Gallhepiggen summer ski resort. He argues that annually adding approximately 700,000 cubic meters of artificial snow will stabilize the glacier's condition. To illustrate the scale, he notes that this amount of snow would create a drift 100 meters by 100 meters and 70 meters high.

"During my tenure alone, the glacier's level in this area has dropped by 17 meters," he emphasized. "If no action is taken, the glacier could entirely vanish within eight years."

Calculations indicate that the glacier loses up to one million cubic meters of snow annually.

Meanwhile, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has previously reported that 2024 set a record high for global temperatures, accelerating glacier melt and contributing to rising sea levels. Potential factors influencing the warming trend include changes in the solar cycle, volcanic eruptions, and a decrease in atmospheric aerosols that normally cool the atmosphere.