THE ITALY-SWITZERLAND BORDER MELTS

The restaurant is sandwiched between the Alps on the Italian-Swiss border.

For tourists from all over the world, the Rifugio Guide del Cervino

Eat, drink and stay overnight to provide a break from winter sports.

And this reviewer said:

“Great Italian experience.”

But here something unexpected happens.

The Teodur Glacier nearby is melting.

and how to do it

This small Italian ski lodge is about to move to Switzerland.

Most of Italy's borders are along watersheds along the Alps. I have this imaginary line

It divides the water that falls into the Mediterranean to the south.

Or north across the Dunabe River to the Black Sea.

Or to the North Sea.

Marco Ferrari.

With architect Andrea Bagnato, he wrote a book about this border

And visual designer Elisa Pascal. This basin traces many of the highest peaks of the Alps

Form natural borders between countries.

Many are marked with over 8,000 landmarks like this one.

Some of these have existed since his 16th century.

But on the roughest terrain with few physical markers.

Swiss, Italian and Austrian cartographic agencies have long maintained

Official border records with meticulous measurements

I commented on this photo. Some of these areas lie on glaciers.

their surfaces are too reflective for the satellites

Often used to measure boundaries.

A surveyor's work is manual.

So every few years there is a commission of surveyors

Composed of members from both countries

Cross the border to see how that has changed.

As early as the 1920s, surveyors noted "slow but gradual" contraction.

Between the glaciers, and that "some have disappeared." By the 1990s, however, it became clear that summer melting outweighed winter accumulation.

Surveyors have found that the glacier is melting and ice is no longer accumulating.

This kind of periodic change in the shape and shape of the basin is

increasingly persistent.

As glaciers moved, so did the watersheds

The same goes for national borders.

that's what it looks like.

At many Alpine peaks, glacial ridges form boundaries of watersheds

Hence the border. But when these glaciers melt, the highest point could shift

Often tens of meters away.

When they melt enough, even the rock underneath is revealed

It becomes the boundary.

These black Xs mark the old border between Italy and Switzerland.

However, if we follow today's borders and compare them with old maps,

You can see all the places where the boundaries are off.

In extreme cases even in the Alps

Theodul Glacier's shift has shifted the limit by 150 meters. That's what brought this Italian ski lift to Swiss soil.

And the Rifugio Guide del Cervino could be next.

When countries renegotiate their borders, a careful process is usually required.

No country acquires territory at the expense of another.

But recently Italy signed a new type of agreement.

First she played against Austria in 2006, then she against Switzerland in 2009. This made the Alps recognized as a "mobile border".

Acknowledging that the frontier was affected by changes in the natural world

Outside the control of these countries.

Fortunately, Rifugio is the only place of residence.

Along this changing boundary.

Once in Switzerland, it is subject to Swiss laws, taxes and customs duties.

You may need to replace the outlet. But for most residents, this change doesn't make much sense.

But if you think about different parts of the world where similar processes are taking place,

B. Himalayas or Andes, these are completely different geopolitical situations

The magnitude of the phenomenon is much larger,

The stories are much more contradictory.

In the Himalayas, China and India disagree on borders

Many times I have fought for it as it continues to melt and change.

And in the Andes, Chile and Argentina have long disagreed over their respective melting points.

As climate change warms the planet and changes the boundaries of water bodies

These conflicts can intensify. Rivers occupying more than one-third of the length of all borders

Subject to extreme events that can change course.

The coast gives way to the rising sea

Effects on exclusive economic zones where national sovereignty resides

stretches out to sea.

And like glaciers in the Alps, glaciers continue to melt.

THE ALPINE MOBILE FRONTIER IS LIKE A LAB

Prototypes for more and more frequent states

in different parts of the world.

keep going!