Bossons and Taconnaz Glaciers in agony

Massive retreat of the Glacier des Bossons and the Glacier de Taconnaz, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France. Taken here from just below the summit of the Brevent. Taken while the family (foreground) was on holiday in the summer of 2016 (and when we walked much of the Tour du Mont Blanc.).

One gets a real feel for the accelerating melt. In past centuries, the glaciers spilled over into the valley; in 2000 the Glacier des Bossons was fairly close to the valley floor (at the level of the trees at the bottom of the photo). Now the rock is bear, and so pulling in more heat. The accumulation zone below the summit of Mont Blanc also seems somewhat empty. Some glaciers in the Mont Blanc area have already disappeared, so new names have to be found, eg, basin de Talèfre.

For more photos, see http://glaciers-climat.fr/Bossons/Glacier_des_Bossons.html. For discussions, see Berthier & Vincent, 10.3189/2012JoG11J083, and Vincent et al, 10.1002/2016GL072094.