Alpine glacier was covered with sheep wool sheets to prevent melting. It worked

Researchers in Switzerland have started a novel experiment to protect the country's glaciers. They are using sheep wool to cover the ice on the Alps to deflect heat away and prevent melting. And it is working. The experiment is being carried out on the Tsanfleuron Glacier in western Switzerland. The “Keep It Wool” project is being led by the environmental group Summit Foundation and the University of Lausanne.

The ice is normally covered with synthetic sheets to prevent it from absorbing heat. But they are non-biodegradable. So, in the latest experiment, researchers decided to go with Swiss sheep wool and put them over some sections of the glacier. They were a sustainable option, and if they worked, that would be a breakthrough.

Replacing plastic sheets with natural products

The researchers found that the wool seemed to have worked as well as the synthetic material and protected the ice from the heat. The study shows that using sheep wool sheets provides a dual benefit. First, it is no longer necessary to choose a plastic material to protect the ice, since plastic materials are an additional burden on the environment. Second, sheep wool can be put to use for a new area instead of being discarded. Both of them turn out to be an added benefit to safeguarding the environment, besides preventing glacier ice from melting.

Also Read: Killing the Himalayas slowly: Human urine is melting a glacier on Mount Everest

Placing wool sheets on the glacier

The team decided to try to use wool as an insulating and reflective layer to test a biodegradable alternative and find an area where the material can be used. According to the project, 40 per cent and 70 per cent of Swiss wool is discarded each year. They placed two prototype wool blankets across roughly 200 square meters of the Tsanfleuron Glacier, which spans about 3.5 kilometres. They analysed how the sheets performed compared to synthetic material every two weeks.

Also Read: Beginning of the end? More glacial lake outbursts threaten millions in India, Nepal and China

They found that wool limited ice loss to roughly the same degree as the synthetic material. University of Lausanne student Eliot Gapio said, "Now we have an environmentally friendly solution that you can not only imagine, but also see and touch."

Even though the researchers saw positive results with sheep wool, they stressed that this is not a solution to global warming. To prevent glacier loss, it is important to cut out greenhouse gas emissions.

The Nepal floods were caused by a glacial lake outburst, meaning a glacier kept melting, and a temporary wall held it back until it couldn't. It collapsed, and the water gushed down the valley. Scientists have warned that the Himalayas are warming faster than other regions, and many more glaciers are at a similar risk. The tragedy that unfolded in Nepal and Tibet could become commonplace if drastic steps are not taken soon.