Climate change threatens Australia's snow-capped Alps June 04, 2024

Skiers ride down a slope at Val Thorens, in the French Alps (AFP via Getty Images)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Climate change threatens Australia's snow-capped Alps

Sydney, June 4, 2024

Climate change could shorten Australia's annual snow season by more than a month, putting a unique alpine ecosystem at risk, new research warned on Wednesday.

Modeling by scientists at the Australian National University showed that even with mitigation efforts, snow in the country will become much rarer.

Less than one percent of the mostly dry and dusty nation is defined as alpine.

This patch of land in southeastern Australia - almost as big as some Outback farms - is home to unique flora and fauna, from snow gum trees to pygmy mountain possums.

Like many mountainous regions of the world, the Australian Alps are suffering the rapid and “worrying” impacts of climate change, according to the study's co-author, Adrienne Nicotra.

On the current trajectory, Australia's snow season, which normally lasts around 100 days, roughly between June and August, will be 44 days shorter by 2050, according to the model.

If climate mitigation measures are taken immediately, the snow season could be 28 days shorter by 2050, according to the research.

In a high-emissions scenario, the season would be 55 days shorter, almost half as long.

“All over the world, high-altitude regions are showing much more rapid impacts of climate change,” said Nicotra.

With organisms restricted to an alpine island in a sea of scrub and desert, this could be devastating.

- 'Starting to disappear' -

This could spell trouble for Australia's winter skiing and outdoor activities sector, which turns over around 2 billion dollars a year.

Nicotra, who also heads the Australian Mountain Research Facility, said the modeling highlights the need for snow-related industries to diversify their businesses and for a faster transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

Temperatures and humidity in Australia's alpine region have increased since the 1950s, while rainfall, snow seasons, and snow depth have decreased, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

In some areas, the peak snow depth has been reduced by 35 millimeters (1.4 inches) per year since 1954.

Alex Parsons, a snowboard guide in the Snowy Mountains, said that in the decade he has worked on the slopes, the seasons have become shorter and there has been more rain and less consistent snowfall.

“I can get pretty down about the idea of seeing the place I love most start to disappear,” she said.

“Sometimes it's hard to guide people in the mountains and explain that these beautiful things we're seeing may not exist in 50 years,” Parsons said.

“The stories I tell today will just be fables I'll tell my children.”

Although artificial snow technology, such as snowmaking and grooming, is helping to fill the white powder gap in resorts, Parsons said it doesn't preserve the natural landscape or offer long-term solutions for the backcountry.

“The mountains are more than just skiing and snowboarding - it's a whole ecosystem that's being affected,” she said.

Snow also provides water security for Australian towns and cities.

The area provides around 30% of the water for the Murray-Darling Basin, the country's largest river system.