French scientists report that the highest point in Europe, Mount Mont Blanc in the Alps, has decreased by several meters over the past 10 years, writes the MIR 24 portal.
In September, a group of French researchers, including world biathlon champion Martin Fourcade, took part in the study of Mont Blanc. As of September 2023, the height of Mont Blanc, including the snow cap, is 4 805.59 meters.
The height of the main alpine peak has been the subject of research for many years. As a rule, it varies: in 2001 it was 4 810.40 meters, in 2019 it dropped to 4 806 meters with a snow cap. The height of the mountain without a layer of eternal snow is 4 792 meters.
Thus, the height of Mont Blanc decreases due to the decrease in the thickness of the snow cover at its summit. Scientists do not yet undertake to say that the reason for the melting of the eternal snow is climate change, but they suggest that if the melting of the snow cap on Mont Blanc continues at the same rate, by 2100 the Alpine glaciers will disappear by 99 percent.