Alpine glaciers have been shrinking since the 1980s. Between 2007 and 2008, 82 out of 88 glaciers shrank by about 25 meters in length, with the Gorner Glacier (on the aforementioned Monte Rosa massif) shrinking by a whopping 290 meters. Temperatures are also rising, by 0.5 degree Celsius from 1982 to 2000, and by 1.2 degrees between 2000 and 2008.

According to a recent United Nation’s Environmental Report, Alpine ice cover has diminished by two-thirds since the 1950s, with much of the loss occurring after 1980. If the loss continues, these glaciers could disappear by 2050, according to Roland Psenner of the University of Innsbruck. And that’s a conservative estimate, Psenner adds, noting that a worst-case scenario could see most glaciers vanishing by 2037.