The Longest-Lasting Snow Patch in Britain Disappears for the Fourth Consecutive Year

A patch of snow in the Scottish Highlands called the Sphinx typically remains all year round and remains frozen throughout the summer. But it has melted away four years in a row, making it only the tenth time in more than three centuries that it has happened.

The Sphinx that flanks Brelliach, Britain's third highest mountain, has historically been known to persist even after most of the snow and ice has disappeared each year on Scotland's Cairngorm Mountains, making it historically the longest-lasting snow in Britain. It was considered a zone. range.

But by September, like every year since 2021, this patch completely melted away. By comparison, the Sphinx disappeared only three times in the 20th century.

Experts say such snowy areas tend to be sensitive to small fluctuations in temperature, which could serve as a harbinger of the broader effects of climate change. The Sphinx's melting could therefore provide clues to how climate change is affecting the Scottish Highlands, the rest of Scotland and the world.

Grant Moir, chief executive of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “The fact that the Sphinx is melting for the fourth year in a row is a good indicator of these changes.” “Climate change has always been relatively high on the agenda for us as a national park and is increasingly impacting the Highlands. We can learn from the Sphinx about the changes that are happening to our climate. can.”

In addition to melting snow, highlands experience frequent storms and floods interspersed with long periods of dry weather, increasing the risk of wildfires, Moir said.

Changes in snow cover across the plateau affect mountain ecosystems by altering the natural hydrological cycle in which snow gradually melts from the mountains and flows into streams.

“It's really impacting things like salmon spawning areas and the river as a whole,” Moir said. “We need to mitigate some of these impacts and we need to think about what we can do to adapt to changing patterns.”

He added that Cairngorms Park was also home to some of the UK's most endangered species.

Its ripple effects extend beyond the natural environment. The national park is home to about 18,000 people and is visited by about 2 million people each year, Moir said. However, he said severe storms and flooding could displace residents, cause millions of pounds of damage and disrupt the region's valuable tourism industry.

“It's always been important to try to strike the right balance to ensure that nature and people can thrive within the national park,” Moir said. “What we are trying to do is make sure we invest in things that are good for nature, biodiversity and people.”

Ian Cameron, author of The Vanishing Ice: Diaries of a Scottish Snow Hunter, has spent more than 25 years studying snow in the hills and mountains of Scotland. Every year he publishes his findings on the region's snow cover in the British Meteorological Society's annual report.

Prime Minister David Cameron wrote last year that the Sphinx's fate was a story with “little prospect of a happy ending”.

“There is little doubt that we are witnessing a change in the language used to describe snow in Scotland.” he wrote. “In the past, the adjective that best described the Sphinx was 'permanent,' but that had to be changed to 'semi-permanent,' then 'permanent,' and then 'semi-permanent.' But even this descriptor will not be able to withstand the pressure exerted by continued disappearances. We are now witnessing an era where patches of snow may remain only occasionally. ”