UNESCO has chosen today, 21 March 2025 — World Day for Glaciers — for presentation of its 2025 World Water Report, containing new data on glacial melting.
Western glacier of Sorapiss, ph. Matteo Visintainer
To mark this day, in the context of the International Year of Glacier Preservation launched in Geneva by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation has decided to publish a special issue of this Newsletter dedicated entirely to glaciers of the Dolomites World Heritage Site. This has been compiled with the contribution of Prof. Alberto Carton, geomorphologist at the University of Padua and member of the Geological Heritage Network of the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation.
The scientific work of Prof. Carton examines the history of glacial activity in the Dolomites, revisits studies dating back to the end of the 19th century that began to trace the evolution of ice and then document the characteristics of glaciers and glacierets found in the Nine Systems of the Dolomites World Heritage Site, which are now shrinking in terms of surface area and volume due to current melting. Once section presents the case study of Marmolada, while another provides fascinating glaciological routes across Marmolada, Pale di S. Martino and Antelao.
The aim is to contribute to further knowledge and scientific information on the state of glaciers in the Dolomites, and to continue prompting reflection on everything we are losing, including glaciers, due to climate change.