Impacts of Global Climate Change on Tourism in the Matterhorn, Switzerland Region

The Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland in the Alps mountain range, is a well-known iconic landmark across the world of travel, skiing, and photography. Consequently, due to the effects of climate change, the tourism industry surrounding the Matterhorn is going to suffer tremendously. Whether it be due to safety of visitors, preservation of the natural landscape and surrounding local villages, or prevention of further human-caused damage to the mountain, the tourism industry at Zermatt has been experiencing many policy changes. These conditions are expected to increase restrictions on the mountain over time.

Brief Historical Background

Matterhorn, standing at over 14,000 feet within the Swiss Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy, can be translated as “peak of the meadows” in German. The first ascent of the peak was on July 14, 1865. It was an international competition to see who could reach the summit first. That day, only three of the seven-man group survived after one man lost his footing and a support line broke between them, saving the other three hanging to the rockface while he took another three down with him. (Mackdonald 2015) This tragic event eventually led to the start of the alpine tourism industry in the Alps. Climbers from all over the world want to see where this event had happened, and unfortunately, over 500 climbers have lost their lives after the first ascent as well. That’s an average rate of three to 4 climbers per year. Even though mountaineering is dangerous, many people still flock to Matterhorn to experience its beauty and opportunities. Now, tourism is the leading bedrock for local communities’ economies. Any change in their tourism flow could be economically disastrous for their families. (McMillan 2015)

The Alps as well as many other mountain ranges are formed and supported by massive glaciers. Glaciers in alpine settings provide a steady environment for its wildlife and maintain a temperature cycle that has been going on for millions of years. (Alps 2016) A glacier is considered “retreating” if there is more ice and snow melting than there is accumulating at the head of the glacier. Climate change is a natural cycle of warming and cooling of the Earth that has followed a consecutive pattern over millions of years. This is a normal process in the Earth’s expansive time scale, but since the industrial revolution, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that help warm the planet have been increasing this rate more than it has ever occurred in recorded human history. These rates are changing faster than scientists have discovered through glacial core samples deep in the Antarctic ice sheet. The samples that the core samples have indicated show a pattern that fluctuates regularly over the past 400,000 years. Figure 1 (NASA 2017) shows how drastic this change is compared to over the 400,000 years recorded in ice cores from NASA’s website.

Figure 1

This moment in the geologic time scale is considered the Anthropocene, a time of significant human impact on the earth’s ecosystems and rates of naturally occurring climate change. (Borenstein 2014) Human impacts on the Earth are rapidly changing this normal swing in climate by adding greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and pollution, causing holes in the ozone layer that protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation that causes atmospheric temperatures to rise. This can have many effects on life here on the surface.

Figure 2

Figure 2 shows the increased presence of carbon dioxide and monoxide emissions by human sources. The graph shows a spike in the total and coal emissions around the time of the industrial revolution. This of course was created by people. This human-produced change in climate patterns are resulting in many manifestations across the planet, but I will be focusing on how it is impacting tourism in Switzerland at Matterhorn in particular. I mapped out in Figure 3 (Emery 2017) where exposed rock in the mountains surrounding Matterhorn are becoming more prevalent over the course of the past 20 years. This indicates the advanced glacial retreat up the slopes of the Alps.

Figure 3

DANGERS/ SAFETY

Permafrost

Along with the basic dangers associated with climbing a mountain or pursuing alpine sports, climate change causes mass melting and unpredictable weather that can lead to devastating effects on tourists and locals. (Thomas 1970) (Alps 2016) Soils, rocks, or sediments that have been frozen solid for over two years is considered permafrost. When global temperatures are increasing, causing this permafrost to melt and refreeze, breaking down the surrounding material. (Harvey 2013) This could be huge boulders at a summit, or even the land a ski lift is positioned upon. Now that temperatures on the mountain are increasing and causing more rockfall, ski resorts with gondolas that transport skiers and snowboarders up the mountain need to be examined if located on top or near a fissure that may become unstable. (Gabel 2012) When these materials come apart, the consequences can be devastating. In 2003, over 1,000 meters (over 3,000 feet) had fallen at the Matterhorn. This caused 90 climbers stranded above the snowline left to be rescued by helicopters. (Fabricius 2014) Rockslides have been common over time on mountains, but as permafrost keeps chipping away at the structural integrity of the slopes, the occurrences have become more frequent and more dangerous. (Day 2012) Officials suggest that it is not very safe to venture to the summit unless it is very cold - when permafrost is most likely to be stable. (Home 2017) This rightfully discourages climbers from attempting the climb, but this consequently results in less income for the tourism industry.

Intense weather changes

In addition to increased melting upon the mountain, climbing has become a lot more dangerous that it has been in the past. Climbers and their guides must depart on their climbs early in the morning and arrive back to camp before the afternoon in order to avoid getting stranded within powerful and unexpected storms. These aforementioned storms can be viewed as massive rainfall events that commonly lead to mudslides, flash flooding down the slopes, or extreme shifts in temperature. (G 2004). (Gobiet et al. 2013) This puts everyone in danger of drowning or freezing to death. When these weather events to occur, local villages may have to pay the price. In order to prevent damage to low-elevation small communities surrounding the mountains like the village of Pontresina, the consensus was to build dams to protect their livelihoods from the disasters that may occur uphill. (Home 2017)

HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

A Change in Policy

Due to massive tourism traffic increases, more people wish to experience the Matterhorn themselves, but all the activity puts excess stress on both guides and the mountain’s resources alike. To reduce stress on the mountain, a popular climbing shelter called Hörnli hut is now renovating and limiting the amount of beds that it previously had, and has since banned the previous ability of camping near its premises. Human waste infiltrated the water supply by campers on the mountain, causing it to be unsuitable for use and damaged a source of clean water for many local people. The increase in population and climate change has forced officials to limit the amount of people that can visit by 500-1,000 people per year to the summit. (McMillan 2015)

Evidence in Switzerland

Humans are major drivers of damage to the alpine ecosystem, even when precautions to encourage responsible behavior is taken. A study over a period of 93 years for six locations in Switzerland indicated a correlation between temperature and precipitation. The study’s findings suggest that warmer temperatures during the winter will lead to an overall decrease in precipitation in high elevations, such as where glaciers are formed. (Rebetez 1994) This obviously makes winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding difficult during the summer months for the Matterhorn. Under current conditions presented by global climate change to the possible rise in temperature to about 2°C per year, reliability of profitable snow cover in the Swiss Alps is varied. Under current conditions, reliable snow cover is about 85%. If global temperatures climb to the rate of 2°C per year, it would decrease down to only about 63%. (Koenig&Abegg 2010) This contrast shows how vulnerable the tourism industry can be and how drastically the amount of snow cover can change under these plausible upcoming atmospheric conditions. This is a significant difference in reliability, making it difficult for travelers to count on good snow for outdoor activities such as skiing and snowboarding. The reliable source of income for the tourism industry through outdoor activities at the Matterhorn is threatened by human activity within the natural cycle of climate change.

Figure 4

Ten nearby glaciers in the Swiss Alps are also feeling the burn of climate change as depicted by Figure 4 (Burt 2012) showing the difference in glacial patterns from 1980 to 2003. These glaciers in particular are thought to have seen an overall increase in solar radiation and above average surface temperatures, leading to more glacial melt than accumulation over the past 22 years. Figure 5 (Amos 2008) shows a spatial relationship between glacial mass decline over time in Switzerland. It demonstrates the similar rate in decline across many of the region’s glacial cover since 1860. This kind of change is not just local, it’s happening to glaciers all over the world.

Figure 5

Final Thoughts

The impacts of climate change are all around us. For the Matterhorn that means economic deprivation, glacial retreat, decline in mountainous activity such as skiing, mountain climbing, and snowboarding, and less resources for future generations to come. If the world comes together and can help keep the increase of global temperature below 2°C per year, the Matterhorn may get a fighting chance to remain a protected and profitable region in the world of tourism.

Works Cited

“Alps - The Impacts of Climate Change in Europe Today.” European Environment Agency, 16 Dec. 2016, www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2010/alps.

Amos, Jonathan. “Swiss Glaciers 'in Full Retreat'.” BBC News, BBC, 19 Dec. 2008, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7770472.stm.

Borenstein, Seth (14 October 2014). "With their mark on Earth, humans may name era, too". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 October 2014

Burt, Christopher C. “Unprecedented Snow Melt and Heat in the European Alps.” Weather Underground, 25 Aug. 2012, www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/unprecedented-snow-melt-and-heat-in-the-european-alps.html. (FIGURE 4)

NASA, “Carbon Dioxide Concentration | NASA Global Climate Change.” NASA, 17 May 2017, climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/carbon-dioxide/. (FIGURE 1)

Day, Michael. “Matterhorn Disintegrating in the Face of Global Warming.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 3 Apr. 2012, www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/matterhorn-disintegrating-in-the-face-of-global-warming-7615558.html.

Fabricius, Karl. “The Alarming Impact of Climate Change on Switzerland's Matterhorn.” Scribol.com, 18 Mar. 2014, scribol.com/science/meteorology/the-alarming-impact-of-climate-change-on-switzerlands-matterhorn/.

G, Jan. “The Long Road to the Summit of Matterhorn.” SummitPost.org, 9 Nov. 2004, www.summitpost.org/the-long-road-to-the-summit-of-matterhorn/169700.

Gabel, David A. “Melting Glaciers Are Causing the Matterhorn to Come Apart.” Climate Change News: Melting Glaciers Are Causing the Matterhorn to Come Apart, ENN Environmental News Network, 9 Apr. 2012, www.enn.com/climate/article/44240?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%2BClimateChangeNews-Enn%2B%28Climate%2BChange%2BNews%2B-%2BENN%29.

Gobiet, Andreas, et al. “21st Century Climate Change in the European Alps-A Review.” Science of The Total Environment, Elsevier, 15 Aug. 2013, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969713008188.

Emery, Krista. Google Earth Pro Matterhorn at Zermatt, Switzerland from 1996-2016 “Zermatt, Switzerland.” Google Earth, Google, 1996-2016, earth.google.com/. 2017. (FIGURE 3)

Harvey, Fiona (21 February 2013). "1.5C rise in temperature enough to start permafrost melt, scientists warn". The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/feb/21/temperature-rise-permafrost-melt

“Home.” The Sad Effects of Global Warming in Switzerland, 4 Dec. 2017, www.myswissalps.com/aboutswitzerland/nature/environment/globalwarming.

Koenig, Urs, and Bruno Abegg. “Impacts of Climate Change on Winter Tourism in the Swiss Alps.” Taylor & Francis Online, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29 Mar. 2010, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09669589708667275.

MacDonald, Dougald. “10 Things You May Not Know About the Matterhorn.” Climbing Magazine, 14 July 2015, www.climbing.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-matterhorn/.

McMillan, Kelley. “Swiss Move to Reduce Stress on the Matterhorn.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 July 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/sports/swiss-move-to-reduce-stress-on-the-matterhorn.html?_r=0.

Rebetez, M. “Seasonal Relationship between Temperature, Precipitation and Snow Cover in a Mountainous Region.” Theoretical and Applied Climatology, Springer-Verlag, 17 July 1995, infoscience.epfl.ch/record/82182.

Thomas, Brian. “Melting Glaciers Are Rending the Matterhorn.” Carbon-Based, 1 Jan. 1970, carbon-based-ghg.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/melting-glaciers-are-rending-matterhorn.html