Melting
Giants

The once mighty glaciers of the alps are melting away. According to scientist, up to 80% of them could be gone by the end of this century due to climate change."Melting giants" is capturing the beauty of glaciers and their decline.

About Melting Giants

Since my childhood I am fascinated by the ice giants. During my hikes in the alps, I could witness their decline at first hand. When I learned that many glaciers could be gone by the end of the century, I knew that something had to be done. With this project I want to document the melting giants and capture their beauty. On the one hand, to show future generations what we have lost; on the other hand and even more importantly, to showcase the issue to a broad audience, thereby hopefully accelerating climate protection. We have only one planet and need to start to take responsibility for our actions. 

Some numbers and facts about glaciers and their decline

Giants

  • there are approximately 5000 glaciers in the alps
  • the longest glacier in the alps, the Aletsch glacier, is around 22 kilometres long
  • at the Konkordiaplatz in Switzerland, the ice is roughly 900 metres thick
  • there are around 900 glaciers in Austria with an average thickness of 38 metres and a volume of 17,7 cubic kilometres

Melting

  • if global warming stays at 1,5 degrees, about half of the glaciers will disappear until 2100
  • if global temperatures rise up to 2,7 degrees, nearly all glaciers in many regions, like the alps, could vanish
  • For example, the Hintereisferner in Austria lost 5% of its volume in only one year
  • In Switzerland, glaciers have lost half of their ice mass between 1931 and 2016 and since 2016 have lost additional 12% 

Why we should care

Glaciers are not only incredible to look at. They are important for several reasons. The ice acts as a water reservoir for nature and humans alike. Moreover, the melting of the ice affects the rise of the sea level. In addition, glaciers influence the stability of the alps. With their disappearance, mountains become unstable and huge landslides can happen, creating a danger for villages and people. Mountaineers face more unpredictable risks, as seen in 2022 at the Marmolada glacier in Italy, where a part of the glacier collapsed, killing seven people.  

Photography meets music

A project is never rigid. It evolves over time and is growing. So in 2022 I teamed up with my photographer colleague Christopher Meyer and live-act musician and artist Daniela La Luz to create something special: An audiovisual live concert, showcasing the melting of the glaciers in the alps – combining sound and vision. Stay tuned, more information and dates will follow soon. Also check out Daniela La Luz’s website:  https://www.danielalaluz.com/meltinggiants.

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More Information on glaciers and climate change:

https://www.zamg.ac.at/cms/de/klima/informationsportal-klimawandel/klimafolgen/gebirgsgletscher

https://magazin.alpenverein.de/artikel/gletscherruckgang-und-tauender-permafrost_62c205da-6a43-44a0-acae-dd875bf581ab

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abo1324

https://www.greenpeace.de/klimaschutz/klimakrise/berge-eis-gletscher-schmelzen

https://ethz.ch/de/news-und-veranstaltungen/eth-news/news/2022/08/gletscherschwund-historisch.html

https://www.wwf.ch/de/stories/vom-sterben-der-gletscher

https://www.slf.ch/de/2022/schlimmer-als-2003-schweizer-gletscher-schmolzen-wie-noch-nie.html