The decrease ranges from 23 percent less over the northern Alps to almost 50 percent on the southwestern slopes from 1920 to 2020, the study stated, after researching altitude and climatological parameters such as temperature and total precipitation-influenced snowfalls.

Seasonal snowfall and precipitation data were collected at 46 sites across the Alps. The most recent were gathered at modern weather stations, and historical data were obtained from handwritten records in which specially designated observers recorded how many centimeters of snow were deposited at a given location.

The data became available thanks to the collaboration among several meteorological offices, environmental agencies, volunteer associations and the University of Trento. It was then interpreted by the team led by Eurac Research, which created a complete snowfall picture in the Alps from 1920 to 2020.

ied/iff/mem/alb