Thawing permafrost threatens dozens of SAC huts
Published: Tuesday, Nov 26th 2024, 11:00
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Over a third of the Swiss Alpine Club's huts could become unstable in the future due to thawing permafrost. 42 huts are also potentially threatened by rockfalls from permafrost areas. These are the results of a study published on Tuesday.
Adjustments to the water supply for the 152 huts of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) are necessary in order to secure the drinking water supply in the long term. "Around 29 huts that still had glaciers in their catchment area at the beginning of this century will lose them by 2030. This will affect a further 25 huts by 2050," Ulrich Delang, Head of the Huts Division at the SAC, is quoted as saying in the press release on the "Huts 2050" study package.
While guests can still see a glacier at just under a third of SAC huts today, this will only be the case at ten percent of accommodation by 2050, and at none by the end of the century. Over the next 25 years, the melted ice will create larger lakes at 21 huts within a radius of two kilometers.
There will also be changes to the approaches: Currently, these lead over glaciers in summer and winter at 22 accommodations; in a quarter of a century, this will only apply to six huts.
Thawing permafrost, increasing natural hazards and changing landscapes demanded high investments and adjustments in hut construction. The money from the SAC hut fund was not enough to finance the construction projects alone. According to the SAC, it is therefore dependent on strong partners and donations.
©Keystone/SDA
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