The Tragedy of the Alps’ Disappearing Glaciers for Those ...

What’s Happening

So get this: Warming temperatures are wreaking havoc at elevation, upending the Winter Olympics and the tourism industry and imperiling communities Theres More to That A Smithsonian magazine special report The Tragedy of the Alps’ Disappearing Glaciers for Those Who Live, Visit and Ski There Warming temperatures are wreaking havoc at elevation, upending the Winter Olympics and the tourism industry and imperiling communities Ari Daniel - Host, “There’s More to That” Get our !

Illustration / Images from Martin Bergsma via Adobe Stock and public domain Some 2,500 huts dot the landscape across the Alps. For more than two centuries, hikers and climbers have sought out these refuges as they’ve navigated the snowy, high elevations. (wild, right?)

But the mountain glaciers that have defined this region are melting, putting these huts, the entire culture of alpine hiking, and near communities in danger.

The Details

Avalanches, rockfalls, mudslides and flooding—brought on by a changing climate—are happening at a time when the Alps are more popular than ever. And the subject of an altered alpine habitat takes on additional importance amid the Winter Olympics in Italy.

In this episode, we speak with Smithsonian magazine’s Megan Gambino, who edited a story on this topic , and environmental scientist Markus Stoffel, who studies how climate change is impacting higher elevations. Both are skiing enthusiasts, so the issue is personal to them as well.

Why This Matters

To to “There’s More to That,” and to listen to past episodes about the growing concerns around human-made objects in orbit hurtling back toward Earth , the vast fleet of shipwrecks at the bottoms of the solid Lakes and the L. Wildfires as viewed through the eyes of two photographers , find us on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts. Ari Daniel: Megan Gambino has always loved the Winter Olympics.

This could have implications for future research in this area.

Key Takeaways

• Megan Gambino: I would say I got interested in the Winter Olympics in the ’90s as a kid with Lillehammer in ’94 and Nagano in ’98.
• Daniel: Megan is a senior web editor for Smithsonian magazine, where she oversees travel coverage.

The Bottom Line

Megan Gambino: I would say I got interested in the Winter Olympics in the ’90s as a kid with Lillehammer in ’94 and Nagano in ’98. Daniel: Megan is a senior web editor for Smithsonian magazine, where she oversees travel coverage.

Thoughts? Drop them below.