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Mont Blanc Glacier retreats by 15 metres

Bionnassay glacier study raises alarms

featured in News & reviews Author Robin Deering, Chamonix Editor Updated

A recent study commissioned by Saint Gervais has shown evidence of accelerated shrinking of the Bionnassay glacier.

Sharp increase in glacier melt over two year study

Luc Moreau has been conducting measurements on the west facing glacier for two years now and states that although each glacier reacts differently to climate change, 2011 was a bad year for the Bionnassay glacier.

In 2011 the overall size of the glacier, measured by GPS instruments, diminished by 15 metres in length and by 0.92 metres in depth.
The Bionnassay glacier has been less affected by climate change compared to neighbouring glaciers on the Mont Blanc. Over twenty years the glacier has shrunk by 200 metres, whereas the Mer de Glace has shrunk by 600 metres and the glacier de Bossons by over 800 metres.

The study is to continue and figures should be used in environmental protection plans.