Austria

Climate Changes As Fast As Fashion - Austrian Group Excursion

In Austria we have a very strong tourism industry. Many jobs are in combination with summer and winter tourism. But climate change brings us weaker winters with less snow an hotter summers with more rain. Probably this will have an effect on the tourism. But where do we see this? - At glaciers!

So we moved to the "Stubaier-Gletscher". It is one part of the biggest glaciers in Austria. There you can see the climate change already. So it is the perfect place for the Austrian CCAFAF - Group to make their excursion to.  For this we had a very professional guide from the “Klimaschule” (www.klimaschule.at ) – climate school, which is a climate scientist and also works at the University of Innsbruck.

On the 7th of July at 07:30 a.m. we all met us at the main station in Innsbruck and took the bus to the ski region. There, at 09:00 a.m., Wolfgang Gurgiser (PhD) was already waiting for us. All together we got up with the ski-lift so the top of the glacier – the “Isidorplattform” - or also called "the Top of Tyrol" (on 3.210 m). There we had at first an introduction to glaciers: how they grow; what they are made of; how long they exist; their structure. After this he taught us the impact of the weather on the glacier. In some parts it was very physic-chemical detailed, but the most things were very easy and logically to understand.

After this we drove again with the ski-lift down to the highest lodge on the glacier “Eisgrat”  (which is on 2.900 meters), where we met the assistant manager of the “Stubaier Bergbahnen”. He told us how the tourism industry tries to protect the glacier. Not because of the environmental effect, but because of the economic aspect.

After this economic sight of the climate change we went down a few meters to the new ice-cave, the “Eisgrotte”. There we were able to see inside the glacier as it would look like in a crevasse.

At 12:30 a.m. we had lunch at the lodge and then went down to the lower lodge “Fernau”. On the way we made several stops where Wolfgang taught us about climate history and that climate change is no myth – it is real. And the consequence in Austria would be the melting of the glaciers, the water-household change and the weather changes. At the latest then the last member of our group realised the real impact of climate change.

Every time at this excursion we had the possibility to ask questions, to talk with Wolfgang alone and he included us in his explanations – he tried to make it interactive and so everybody could inform himself/herself as much as he/she liked it.

At 4:00 p.m. we drove down to the valley, where we took the bus home.

On our photogallery you can see all of our pictures of the day: ccafaf.webnode.com/actions-/partners-actions-/austria/exkursion-stubaier-gletscher-photos/

All the hyperlinked things:

Marlies Stonig
Leader of Austrian team