Adamello Glacier shows drastic retreat in satellite imagery

Satellite imagery and environmental reports highlight a drastic retreat of the Adamello Glacier, the largest in the Italian Alps, over the last decade. Comparisons between 2016 and 2026 images provided by the Copernicus service show a significant loss of ice and snow cover, with the Mandrone glacier tongue having retreated by approximately 550 meters.

Experts from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology note that the 2025-2026 winter saw minimal snowfall, leaving ice exposed to solar radiation. Summer heatwaves have further exacerbated the situation, with the freezing level frequently rising above 4,900 to 5,000 meters. This trend is part of a broader crisis across the Alps, where thermal anomalies are reported to be between +2 and +4 degrees Celsius compared to the 1991-2020 average.

In response, Legambiente, alongside organizations such as the Italian Glaciological Foundation and CAI, has launched the ‘Caravan of Glaciers 2026’ to denounce the effects of the climate crisis. These environmental shifts are causing increased slope instability and altering water runoff patterns in the valleys below.