The Pasterze Glacier in western Austria has been receding since
1856. A combination of higher summer temperatures and lower
winter snowfall is causing the retreat. Glaciers in nearby
Switzerland receded more rapidly in 2003 than in any other year
since annual measurements began in 1880. Despite the record heat
in Europe that summer, scientists from the Swiss Academy of
Natural Sciences attributed the melting to long-term climate
change. NASA scientists use satellite data to measure the
advance and retreat of glaciers all around the world. This true-
color image was acquired by Space Imaging’s Ikonos satellite on
October 3, 2001. The full-resolution image has a resolution of 4
meters per pixel. For more information about monitoring
Glaciers, read At the Edge: Monitoring Glaciers to Watch Global
Change. Image by Robert Simmon, NASA’s Earth Observatory, based
on data copyright Space Imaging