Pioneers like John Ball and Julius Payer, who once chronicled the Trentino glaciers, would be astonished to see them now, as they no longer retain the same form.
In the heart of Italy, the Trentino mountains are witnessing a significant change. The glaciers of Trentino, particularly the Marmolada—the largest in the Dolomites—are undergoing dramatic retreat and degradation due to global warming2. This region's glaciers have been shrinking consistently, with the Marmolada losing about 7-10 cm of ice thickness daily and retreating over 1,200 meters since measurements began in 18882.
This retreat is part of a broader global pattern whereby about 68% of the world’s glaciers are predicted to vanish in the next 30 years at current temperatures2. The history of glaciers in Trentino reflects a long-term decline, accelerating over recent decades as air temperatures have risen globally.
Global warming also causes permafrost thawing in the alpine region, which destabilizes rock and ice structures. In Trentino’s Brenta Dolomites, experts have linked increased frequency and intensity of rockfalls to the thawing of permafrost, which once stabilized mountain slopes. The thawing has led to dramatic events such as the 2025 rock slides at Cima Falkner, where over 1 million cubic feet of rock fell due to melting ice within fractures holding the rock together1.
Amidst this melting legacy, the Società degli Alpinisti Tridentini (SAT) and its Glaciological Commission are actively involved in research methods, including traditional measurements, satellite remote sensing systems, and glacial mass balance1. Their efforts aim to document and understand the changes occurring in Trentino's glaciers.
In an attempt to preserve the memory of these glaciers, the book "Ghiacciai del Trentino" was written. Coordinated by Cristian Ferrari, president of the SAT, and Alberto Carton, formerly professor of physical geography and geomorphology at the University of Padua, this comprehensive encyclopedia covers not only the history and climate changes related to glaciers but also the broader context of high-altitude environments, including their impact on plants, animals, water quality, and human life1.
Published by Cierre Edizioni, "Ghiacciai del Trentino" features over 500 pages and includes information about permafrost, rock-glaciers, and ice caves in the Trentino area1. The book stands out for its scientific content as well as its attractive graphics and excellent photographic apparatus. It is considered a treatise among the richest and most complete ever published on the glaciers of Trentino.
The province of Trento has seen a decrease in glacierized territory from 123 to 34 square kilometers over the past century and a half, representing a 72% loss1. The "Julius Payer Glaciological Center" was born in the Trentino mountains, housed in the old Mandrone refuge, providing a panoramic view of the Mandrone Glacier.
In 2021, the "ADA270" project provided a 224-meter ice core from the Mandrone Glacier to study information on the past centuries of alpine climate1. Artifacts from the Marmolada trenches are now on display at the museum of Passo Fedaia, offering a glimpse into the region's past.
Despite these efforts, the Mandrone Glacier is not safe from global warming, with its accumulation basin increasingly often below the critical quota for snow preservation by the end of summer1. The Careser Glacier in the Cevedale group has the longest data series in Italy, outlining a total thickness loss of over 70 meters since 19671. The Trentino mountains' largest glacier, the Mandrone Glacier, with an area of 14 square kilometers, is also not immune to these changes.
The "City of Ice" of Marmolada, a network of eight kilometers of trenches, was later destroyed by the movements of the glacier1. The Marmolada, described as being in an "irreversible coma" and expected to disappear by around 2040 if current trends continue2, serves as a stark reminder of the rapid changes occurring in Trentino's glaciers.
- The scientific community, such as the Società degli Alpinisti Tridentini (SAT), engages in research within international science, focusing on the health-and-wellness of Trentino's glaciers via traditional measurements, satellite remote sensing systems, and glacial mass balance studies.
- The environmental-science sector observes that global warming causes not only glacier retreat but also permafrost thawing, which destabilizes rock and ice structures in regions like the Brenta Dolomites, leading to increased frequency and intensity of rockfalls and dramatic events.
- Climate change impacts not only the Trentino mountains' glaciers but also the broader environment, causing concerns about the preservation of high-altitude environments and their surrounding ecosystems, as detailed in the comprehensive encyclopedia "Ghiacciai del Trentino."
