Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

Global heating is turning white Alps green, study finds

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 3 Jun 2022 13:46
3 Min Read

Satellite data reveal that vegetated areas above the treeline have risen by 77% since 1984.

  • x
  • Global heating is turning white Alps green, study finds.
    Global heating is turning white Alps green, study finds.

The impact of global warming on the Alps is obvious from space, with the snow-white mountains being increasingly inhabited by green flora, a study of high-resolution satellite data revealed.

According to the study, vegetation above the treeline in the Alps has increased by 77% since 1984. While receding glaciers have represented the rate of global warming in the Alpine region, experts have termed increases in plant biomass as an "extremely tremendous" change.

Read more: Climate change effect on Peruvian glaciers taken to German court

Rising temperatures and greater precipitation are extending the growing season, causing plants to colonize new areas and grow denser and taller. Snow cover is thinning, and scientists say that losses of less than 10% of snow cover above the treeline are nevertheless substantial.

“The scale of the change has turned out to be absolutely massive in the Alps,” said Prof Sabine Rumpf, of the University of Basel, and lead author of the paper which was published in Science.

Read next: Deadly heatwave made 30 times worse by global warming

Related News

Methane-munching bacteria; natural solution to curb global heating

Extreme weather devastates UK wildlife in 2022: National Trust

Mountain regions are warming roughly twice as quickly as the worldwide average. While the greening of the Alps may improve carbon sequestration, it is anticipated that this will be balanced by negative consequences such as thawing permafrost, which is a reduced albedo effect (less snow reflecting away sunlight), and habitat loss.

Rumpf explained that more plants at high altitudes could paradoxically threaten many specialist Alpine plants, which are well adapted to harsh conditions but not very competitive. As conditions improve for growth, these are pushed out by more vigorous, common species from lower elevations.

“The unique biodiversity of the Alps is therefore under considerable pressure,” said Rumpf.

Snow cover above the treeline has altered less dramatically than vegetation, falling significantly in nearly 10% of the region (excluding glaciers and places below 1,700 meters). According to the researchers, this is still a concerning trend.

Prof Antoine Guisan, of the University of Lausanne, said, “Previous analyses of satellite data hadn’t identified any such trend. This may be because the resolution of the satellite images was insufficient or because the periods considered were too short.”

Read next: World on track to breach key 1.5°C threshold in next 5 years: Report

Although high-resolution data cannot identify changes in snow depth, ground-based observations have shown depth decreases at low elevations for several years.

The scientists revealed that when bigger portions of the Alps went from white to green, a feedback loop was generated, resulting in a faster rate of heating and snow melt.

“Greener mountains reflect less sunlight and therefore lead to further warming – and, in turn, to further shrinkage of reflective snow cover,” Rumpf said of the albedo effect.

Heating also causes glaciers to melt and permafrost to thaw, potentially leading to greater landslides, rockfalls, and mudflows.

  • Global heating
  • Alps
STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS