A team of researchers and students in Switzerland has found that blankets made from sheep wool can help slow the melting of glacier ice, testing the material on the Tsanfleuron glacier in the western Alps.
The project, called Keep It Wool, is led by the Summit Foundation and the University of Lausanne, with four master's students proposing the idea of using Swiss wool to protect the ice, according to a report by Reuters.
The initiative looks for a biodegradable alternative to the synthetic covers that have been placed over parts of Alpine snow and ice during the summer for years. These covers reflect solar radiation and reduce heat absorption, but they are usually made of plastic and can shed contaminating microfibres. The first tests with wool have produced results that surprised the people running the project.
A wool alternative to protect glacier ice
The proposal also responds to a separate problem: between 40% and 70% of the wool produced in Switzerland is discarded every year. Researchers wanted to find a use for that surplus while also testing its insulating properties.
In June, two prototype blankets made by the Swiss company Fisolan were brought to the Tsanfleuron glacier. The pieces covered an area of 200 square metres. Over the summer, scientists compared how the wool behaved against a conventional geotextile cover to see whether the natural material could offer similar protection from heat.
Record heat exposed the ice early
The test took on added significance after a season marked by record temperatures. The heat sped up the loss of the snow that normally protects glaciers and left ice surfaces exposed earlier than usual. That thinner protective layer contributes to greater loss of glacier mass and is part of the wider pattern of instability scientists have observed across the Alps.
Results surprised even the scientists
Measurements taken every two weeks showed the wool blankets limited melting with an effectiveness comparable to the synthetic covers, according to the researchers. The performance also surprised Niklaus Saegesser, a representative of Fisolan, who said he had believed the material would not be stable enough to hold up under the conditions.
Elliot Gaffiot, one of the students involved in the project, said the team now had a result they could see and even touch, and that it had worked incredibly well.
A limited but useful tool
Despite the encouraging results, the people behind Keep It Wool are clear that the blankets are not a solution to global warming. Protective covers of this kind reach only about 0.02% of the total surface area of Switzerland's glaciers, making their reach very limited.
The technique's usefulness is confined to specific areas where ice can be temporarily shielded. Over the long term, scientists say cutting greenhouse gas emissions, mainly those tied to fossil fuels, remains the fundamental measure needed to slow glacier loss.
