Glaciers: Vanishing Elements of Our Mountains and Precious Witnesses of Climate Change

This chapter focuses on the clear reduction in glacier extension that has been observed worldwide in the global warming period: this reduction has strongly affected the Alpine region that has been subjected to a much higher temperature increase than the average Earth’s one. Specifically, the chapter presents different techniques of remote-sensing analysis of glaciers applied by the University of Milan (Italy) which in the recent past have led to the compilation of regional, national, and international glacier inventories, to the description of phenomena of great interest such as glacier darkening, and to the study of dynamic evolution of glaciers with impacts on environmental risk and danger conditions and therefore on tourist presence.