The summit of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe, was measured in September this year at 4,805.59 meters, 2.22 meters less than the previous measurement in 2021, French surveyors announced on Thursday.
At a press conference in Chamonix, quoted by the French Press Agency (AFP), Jean des Garets, representative of surveyors from Haute-Savoie, pointed out that this difference has already been observed in the past and may reflect variations in rainfall.
“We are collecting data for future generations, we are not here to interpret it. We leave that to the scientists,” added Jean des Garets, who asked people not to use the measurement “to say nonsense”.
Using state-of-the-art tools and, for the first time, a drone, about twenty people in eight groups climbed Mont Blanc in mid-September to take measurements.
This is the 12th edition of this operation, which aims to model the polar ice cap and collect scientific data on the impact of climate change on the Alpine mountains, continuing an initiative launched in 2001.
“We have already learned a lot from these measurement campaigns. We know that the summit is constantly moving, both in terms of height, with variations of almost five meters, and in terms of position,” said the Garets.
Source: DN
