Snowy Alps will be a distant memory unless we act fast

The number of snow days are falling, contributing to droughts such as that in Italy's Piedmont regionIt has been nearly four months since any rain fell in the Piedmont region of the Italian Alps. This follows a winter in which snowfall was only one-third of what it normally is, and the meagre snowmelt combined with lack of rain has reduced the River Po to a trickle. It is the worst drought the region has experienced in 70 years, but a scenario that is likely to become increasingly commonplace in the future.A study has shown that the number of snow days (days where snow lies on the ground) in the Alps will halve by 2100 if greenhouse emissions remain high. Mountains at 2,500 metres will lose 76 days - nearly three months - of snow days, while at lower altitudes snow days will almost disappear, with an average of just five snow days a year at 500 metres. The southern Alps will be particularly badly hit, with serious implications for water availability downstream. Continue reading...