The term ‘cryosphere’ refers to those areas of the Earth’s surface where water occurs as snow or ice. The new report from ‘Cryosphere Monitoring Austria’ summarises the measurement results for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 years. “In 2024, the average temperature in Austria was +8.8 °C, which is +3 °C above the long-term average. This makes 2024 by far the warmest year in Austrian recorded history (as of 2024). At Sonnblick, 66 consecutive frost-free days were recorded – more than twice the previous record,” says Wolfgang Schöner. The impact on the cryosphere was correspondingly severe: the 13 glaciers monitored lost an average of around two metres in thickness per year. 2024 ranks among the top three years with the greatest losses since records began. On the Kitzsteinhorn, the permafrost thawed locally to a depth of 4.4 metres in 2024, which represents the highest value measured to date. At Lake Lunz, the duration of ice cover in the winter of 2023/24 was reduced to just two days. This represents a 97 per cent decrease compared with the long-term average. In Langen am Arlberg, the duration of the winter snow cover in 2023/24 fell by four per cent, and in Lackenhof am Ötscher by 66 per cent. “Although fresh snow continues to fall, it is quickly melted away by the rising temperatures, meaning it now only remains on the ground for longer at higher altitudes,” explains the scientist.
The research and cooperation project “KryoMon.AT – Cryosphere Monitoring Austria”, launched in 2022 and coordinated by the University of Graz, brings together numerous research groups and institutions from Austria as well as one from Germany. The latest report compiles data on snow, glaciers, permafrost and lake ice across Austria, evaluated according to uniform standards and presented in an accessible format.
The new Cryosphere Monitoring Austria website also offers free access to the results. With background information, key messages and clear visualisations, it highlights the changes in Austria’s cryosphere for experts, the media and the interested public. Ongoing updates and further reports are planned.
The project “KryoMon.AT” involves, alongside the University of Graz, the Universities of Innsbruck, Salzburg and Krems, Graz University of Technology, the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, GeoSphere Austria, Blue Sky Wetteranalysen, GEORESEARCH, the Biological Station Lake Neusiedl Illmitz, Österreichischer Alpenverein, Verein Gletscher und Klima, WasserCluster Lunz and Austrian Hydrography. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management.