The majestic Pyrenees, which form a natural border between the Iberian Peninsula and the European continent, are confronted with a harsh reality: Their glaciers are rapidly disappearing. A recent study we published in the journal Regional Environmental Change paints a grim picture of the state of the last remaining Pyrenean glaciers and highlights the devastating impact of 2022 and 2023 on this iconic landscape, which saw extreme mass losses that further accelerated glacier retreat.

The glaciers of the Pyrenees, located high up in the protected cirques of the highest peaks, are in a precarious state. These once mighty “ice giants” are shrinking at an alarming rate, their existence hanging by a thread. There has been a dramatic decline in recent years, and even at the highest reaches of the glaciers have thinned considerably and lost their area.

The extreme years of 2022 and 2023 mark a particularly sharp turning point. After a decade of steady decline (2011-2020), the glaciers are now significantly smaller and have changed their shape drastically compared to 2011. While some areas are experiencing a temporary respite due to increasing debris cover from rockfalls and avalanches, most of these glaciers are in the final stages of their transformation into mere remnants of their former selves. The signs of this impending demise are unmistakable. Melting processes are leading to collapses, water is carving deep cracks in the ice and debris cover is steadily increasing. 

The current state of the Pyrenean glaciers is a clear indication of the increasing effects of climate change. The extreme mass balance years 2021/22 and 2022/23 have significantly accelerated the thinning and retreat of these ice masses. With the predicted increase in temperature extremes and the further decline in snow cover duration, the fate of the Pyrenean glaciers seems sealed. They are destined to become mere patches of ice or even disappear altogether –a sad testimony to climate change.

Although the disappearance of the Pyrenean glaciers has no direct impact on global sea level rise or regional water supplies, it will have a significant environmental impact at a local and regional level. The rising temperatures are not only causing the glaciers to shrink, but are also affecting the stability of the rock faces after deglaciation and the thawing of the permafrost. This thawing leads to increased instability of slopes and walls, resulting in rockfalls and other hazards.

The indirect impacts on these fragile ecosystems are equally worrying. The extinction of little-known extremophile species, the colonization of new species and changes in high mountain ecosystems are all possible consequences of glacier retreat and disappearance. In addition, the loss of these glaciers means an irreversible loss of cultural heritage.

The Pyrenees are now a “last chance” destination for those who want to experience the disappearing glaciers of southern Europe. Future mountaineering and climbing activities will have to adapt to a glacier-free landscape and a more unstable and vulnerable high mountain environment.