On Saturday, Sven Andre Svensli Rudi (32) was on a trip in Jotunheimen. He is well known in the area. This is where he became a mountaineer.
Then he started stuttering. Now something is not right.
Mountain Happy: Sven Andre Svensley Rudy is usually happy on a mountain trip, but the sight of Glittertint puts a different tone on his mood. Photo: Anita Fijelt
– Where is Glittertind? I stood with Calthobikan and knew that was the direction I was looking. But could not find the mountain.
A mountain he thought might be glittertint, but there was remarkably little snow, so he must have been wrong.
But Swensley Rudy saw right.
Glittertind has been replaced. The iconic iceberg is gone.
– I don’t recognize the mountain. It’s sad and nostalgic, he says.
Almost Snow-Free: This is the scene Sweeney encountered when searching for the snow-covered glittertint mountain characteristic of Schwenzli Rudi. Photo: Sven A. Rudy
The mountain has changed
Researcher Liz Marie Andreasen was on a hike in the same area as Swensley Rudy two days ago.
He is a glacier researcher at the Norwegian Directorate of Water Resources and Energy (NVE).
The sight of meeting her gave off a strange and nostalgic feeling. The changes are big and coming fast, he says.
– It struck me in recent years. Where is Glittertind? The ice has become so small that its appearance has changed, the researcher says.
For 20 years, Andreasen measured snow in Glittertint. In just two years, she sees a huge difference.
– It was beautiful
Schwensley Rudi believes that Jotunheimen has lost something beautiful since almost all the snow is gone.
– It is a beautiful mountain with ice. If it disappears, it won’t be so pretty. Considering the climate, the fact that the melting rate has gone so fast is extra thought-provoking, the mountaineer explains.
– It has apparently melted faster in recent years, because I was on the summit in 2016 when the snow was heavy, he says.
Bad year östafjells
In short, summer temperatures and winter precipitation determine whether glaciers grow or shrink.
This year’s summer saw less than normal rainfall and temperatures. There is less snow and ice in Jodenheim.
– I saw on the Jotunheimen glaciers, and there is very little snow, especially in the east. I see ice still remaining on the two fonns at the top of Glittertinton, says the researcher, but I see more stones exposed at the top.
Above: Big changes have taken place in two years, and there is now very little snow on the summit. Photo: Liz Marie Andreasen
Climate changes
According to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, the glaciers grew in the 1990s.
Recent winters have had more precipitation, but most of the snow is still disappearing.
– Although the maximum snow depth in winter may increase in some places in the higher mountains, future calculations indicate that the snow season will be shorter everywhere. This may indicate that the increase in temperature will outpace the increase in precipitation in the long term, says Jostin Mamen, a climate researcher at the National Weather Service.
– It is quite natural to connect this with global warming, which also affects Norway, he continues.
positive in the West
The growth of glaciers varies locally. For example, this year, the western part of the country has seen heavy snowfall.
– In some years the glaciers receive more ice than they melt. This year, for example, there is more snow than has melted a little further west so far, says NVE’s Andreasen.
– It is clear that the general trend is decreasing. There are large amounts of ice. In many places, the glaciers are hundreds of meters thick, and local measures are being taken to prevent melting, he adds.
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