Even though lives aren’t at immediate risk, for the most part, research into the effects of climate change is still a worthwhile endeavor. And a new study published in the journal Science has examined the changes to the biomass in the mountains of the Alps.

While there have been a lot of studies measuring changes to glaciers and snowpack, this study is the first to comprehensively analyze just how much the vegetation in the Alps has increased. The research team used high-resolution satellite data taken from 1984 to 2021 and found that the plant biomass increased above the tree line in over 77% of the areas observed. We’ve seen this greening effect in the Arctic as global temperatures increase, and now we have evidence for the same phenomenon in the continental mountains.

But hey, more plants! That’s cool, right? Vegetation in the Alps is moving into new areas, growing taller, and becoming denser. Which sounds good until you realize that these aren’t necessarily the usual Alpine plants. As lead author Sabine Rumpf explains: Alpine plants are adapted to harsh conditions, but they’re not very competitive. The unique biodiversity of the Alps is therefore under considerable pressure.

In addition to measuring the increase in the vegetation biomass, scientists also analyzed the decrease in the snow cover, not including glaciers and regions below 1,700 meters. The snow cover decreased significantly in about 10% of the area examined. That area may sound like a small amount, but it’s part of a growing trend that is leading to more precipitation which in turn adds to that biomass.

We’re losing bits of white planet for green planet in an increasingly vicious cycle. And this is not good, as Rumpf further explains: Greener mountains reflect less sunlight and therefore lead to further warming – and, in turn, to further shrinkage of reflective snow cover.

Of course, melting glaciers and thawing permafrost create further hazards of landslides and mudflows and impact the availability of drinking water. All of this goes to show that we don’t need an asteroid or an earthquake to threaten life on Earth. Climate change is doing a bang-up job of that already.

More Information

University of Basel press release

“From white to green: Snow cover loss and increased vegetation productivity in the European Alps,” Sabine B. Rumpf et al., 2022 June 2, Science