Vernagtferner/ Ötz Valley
10 12 June
When compared to old pictures and maps, photographs taken at regular intervals document the retreat of the glacier with striking clarity. The Vernagtferner has been under observation for over 400 years, the first exact mapping being made in 1889. 2000 liters of grayish-milky glacial water gush by per second; in midsummer up to 14,000 liters. Snowmelt started surprisingly early in high regions this year. Research at the Vernagtferner shows that glacier melting is progressing faster than hitherto assumed. Should summers continue to be as hot as in the past few years, Vernagtferner will cease to exist in 80 to 100 years.
Participants
Curators: Juan Carlos Betancourt (Latein America), Ark Fongsmut (Thailand), Serafine Lindemann (Germany), Marianne Maasland (Netherlands)
Artists: Kalle Laar (
Filmmaker: Frank Sauer (
Photography: Mila Pavan (
Technology: Bernd Wiemann and Christian Rauch (Vodafone Group R&D), Peter Trautwein
(ergon3 design)
Science: Ludwig Braun and Matthias Siebers (Commission for Glaciology of the
Media: Sven Ricklefs (Bayerischer Rundfunk)
Iris Rodriguez (freelanced Journalist)
Mountain Climber: Gerhard Moser Pirpamer