The Gurschen glacier above Andermatt will be covered by a protective layer to reduce melting during the summer months.
Over the past few days a team of people have been working on the northern part of the glacier to put in place a protective layer that will reflect the sun’s rays and combat the summer temperatures. The protective layer will cover an area of 3,000 to 4,000 square metres. Officials claim that the cover made of polyester and polypropylene material will significantly reduced the glaciers disappearance.
The protective cover has been used on the Gurschen glacier during the summer months for the past 10 years. The idea is not to save the whole glacier, but rather a small section that is crucial to the ski runs in the winter months. The cost of saving this relatively small strip of glacier is somewhere in the neighborhood €65,000 per year.
According to some forecasts, 70% of Swiss glaciers are predicted to disappear over the next 30 years.
Source: planetski.eu