A rapidly shrinking cryosphere
The glaciers of the Écrins Massif are disappearing at an accelerated pace. Situated in the Dauphiné Alps, this region is experiencing a more rapid glacial retreat than many other parts of the Alps. Since the late 1960s, the total surface area of glaciers in the Écrins has shrunk by approximately 37%. This rate of loss is more than three times that observed in the Mont Blanc massif, a difference partly attributed to the lower average altitude of the Écrins peaks and their proximity to the Mediterranean.
The Glacier Blanc, the longest glacier in the massif, shows this change. Its retreat has quickened significantly in recent decades. Between 1985 and 2003, its terminus moved back 320 meters, an average of 18 meters per year. From 2003 to 2010, that rate doubled to 36 meters per year, with the glacier receding another 250 meters. Overall, the tongue of the Glacier Blanc has retreated 760 meters in just 35 years. Across the French Alps, the average minimum elevation of glacier fronts has risen by 90 meters since the 1960s, pushing the ice further up the mountainsides.