Melting Alpine glaciers – level 3

Melting Alpine glaciers

30-09-2024 07:00

Melting glaciers in the Alps are causing major environmental changes, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Rising temperatures are accelerating glacier retreat, and the Stubai glacier in Austria is expected to disappear within 20 years. This rapid melting leads to increased rockslides, forcing the closure of mountain paths. The meltwater also carries fine sediment, which contains harmful substances like uranium and nickel, posing risks to water supplies. Thawing permafrost is destabilizing mountain slopes even more, making rockfalls more frequent and unpredictable. Lower valleys remain safe for tourists, but high-altitude areas are increasingly dangerous.

Glaciologist Andrea Fischer notes that, as the glaciers disappear, alpine landscapes will change from white to green, with plants colonizing higher elevations. This transition is a direct result of human-caused climate change, which has led to record-breaking summer temperatures across Europe.

Difficult words: retreat (the act of moving backward or withdrawing), rapid (very fast), thaw (to become liquid or soft as a result of warming up).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.

What are some of the environmental changes and risks caused by the melting of the Stubai glacier in Austria, according to glaciologist Andrea Fischer?

LEARN 3000 WORDS with NEWS IN LEVELS

News in Levels is designed to teach you 3000 words in English. Please follow the instructions
below.

How to improve your English with News in Levels: 

Test

  1. Do the test at Test Languages.
  2. Go to your level. Go to Level 1 if you know 1-1000 words. Go to Level 2 if you know 1000-2000 words. Go to Level 3 if you know 2000-3000 words.

Reading

  1. Read two news articles every day.
  2. Read the news articles from the day before and check if you remember all new words.

Listening

  1. Listen to the news from today and read the text at the same time.
  2. Listen to the news from today without reading the text.

Writing

  1. Answer the question under today’s news and write the answer in the comments.

Speaking

  1. Choose one person from the Skype section.
  2. Talk with this person. You can answer questions from Speak in Levels.

 

Stock images by Depositphotos