Austria likely to be largely ice-free within 45 years as glaciers recede quickly, experts say

VIENNA (AP) — Experts say Austrian glaciers receded last year at a rapid pace and the Alpine country is likely to be largely ice-free in 40 to 45 years. The Austrian Alpine Club said Friday that, of the 93 glaciers its volunteers measured and observed, all but one receded in 2022-2023. It said in an annual report that glaciers measured last year were an average 23.9 meters (78 feet) shorter than a year earlier, the third-highest figure of shrinkage in both the club’s 133 years of measurements and in the past seven years. The biggest retreat was that of Austria’s biggest glacier, the Pasterze, which shrank by 203.5 meters (668 feet).