What are the limits of blockage? To signal danger, red flags are displayed at the beach. It is now in Italy that the controversy has exploded following the tragic collapse of a portion of the Marmolada alpine glacier.
A serac's detachment caused an avalanche in ice and rock on Sunday, which swept away many roped parties climbing this glacier. It is the highest peak in the Dolomites (northern Italy), at more than 3,300m. 'Italy. Eight others were also injured and seven of the victims died. The search for five missing relatives continued on Thursday as relief efforts were intensified.
Some testimonies have shown that hikers and guides warned about the dangers of the glacier as it has been weakened by global warming in the recent weeks.
"Why didn’t anyone warn Saturday that water was seeping beneath the glacier?" Why didn't anyone stop people going up? Deborah Campagnano asked Erika Campagnano (44), why they didn't stop people from going up.
Marco Bussone (President of the Union of Mountain Municipalities, Uncem) believes that we need to "totally reconsider the conditions of accessing the mountains after this terrible tragedy."
Meteorologist Luca Mercalli replies, "Ridiculous." What can we do? Barricade 4,000 alpine glaciers? This idea is rejected by many mountain professionals who consider it an attack on their freedoms and ineffective. They argue that even though access to Marmolada is prohibited since the tragedy hikers continue to go there daily.
Nives Meroi, an Italian mountaineer, is the first woman to climb ten mountains above 8,000m. In a column published Wednesday by "La Stampa", Nives Meroi argues that a ban would mean "we lose freedom and therefore our sense [...],of responsibility and the awareness of our fragility".
The president of Trento province, where is the Marmolada, believes that innovation is possible.
"We are mountain people, who have always been aware of the risks. Otherwise, the mountain will die. In contrast, we can think of warning systems in exceptional weather conditions," he stated in an interview with "La Repubblica", a daily newspaper.
Red flags can be used at sea as well as bulletins regarding safety levels.
Bernard Francou, a French glaciologist, also suggests solutions. We must monitor them, and we can do so now using modern methods. If the danger becomes more apparent, we may alert those who live near the foot. He notes that many potentially dangerous glaciers can be monitored by glaciologists in Switzerland and in Grenoble (France) by the Institute of Environmental Geosciences.
