STUDYING GLACIERS BEFORE THEY DISAPPEAR

Trentino’s high-altitude glacial environments are warming at twice the rate of the wider world, having added an average of 2°C since the 1970s. Local glaciers have shrunk by an average of 75 per cent since the mid19th century, leaving the roughly 140 glaciers dotted across the Alpine environment substantially diminished. MUSE, the science museum situated next to the River Adige in the regional capital, Trento, opened in 2013, and concentrates on studying the mountain environments of the Brenta Dolomites in the eastern part of the province, and the 300 million years of history stored within their sedimentary layers. There’s a particular focus on learning more about the impact of warming on local ecosystems. Many mountaintops are becoming more biodiverse, as species fleeing warming temperatures congregate at higher altitudes, but these same species can then become vulnerable to the ‘summit trap’ phenomenon, with nowhere higher (and cooler) to go. Many niche habitats – such as small pools of meltwater – are home to various plants, fungi and insects that have evolved to survive only in these unique conditions. The loss of these species could potentially cascade throughout the rest of the ecosystem.