Pirin Mountains’ Small Glaciers Expected to Vanish by 2045, Study Reveals

Kumasi – Sofia, Bulgaria’s Pirin Mountains, known for their small glaciers, are facing a significant environmental challenge.

According to Ghana News Agency, a research fellow at the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography – Bulgarian Academy of Science, the small glaciers in the Pirin Mountains are expected to disappear entirely by 2045. This alarming prediction was presented during a Tuesday briefing, where results from a field study conducted in the Pirin Mountains were discussed.

The study focuses on two micro-glaciers located in the highest marble areas of the Pirin Mountains. Snezhnika, situated in the circus Golemiya Kazan below Vihren Peak, and Banski suhodol, located beneath the northern wall of the karst rim Koncheto, have been continuous features of the landscape for at least 500 years. Gachev emphasized the significant role these glaciers play as unbiased and precise indicators of climate change.

A troubling trend of snowless winters has been observed in the region over the past 7-8 years. Gachev noted that while December and January have seen a snow deficit, there have been considerable snowfalls in March and April. These sporadic intense snowfalls lead to avalanche snow accumulation, affecting the micro-glaciers’ condition. Particularly, the Banski suhodol micro-glacier has experienced more pronounced degradation since 2018, showing no activity and turning into an ice drift.

Gachev highlighted that the past 150 years have been marked by constant climatic warming, correlating with increased solar activity after the Little Ice Age and the onset of the Industrial Revolution. The Banski suhodol micro-glacier, at an altitude of nearly 2,700 meters, has managed to preserve itself due to lower temperatures. However, its avalanche rate is significantly lower than that of Snezhnik, leading to the melting of its snow cover by intense rainfall in May and June, exposing it by July.

Snezhnik’s unique funnel-shaped slope, which concentrates snow 20 times the area of the micro-glacier, offers more significant avalanche activity. This natural feature helps protect the micro-glacier from high temperatures in early summer.

Micro-glaciers are currently present in only three high mountains on the Balkan Peninsula: Durmitor in Montenegro, Prokletia in Albania, and Pirin in Bulgaria, highlighting their rarity and ecological significance.