ANDERMATT, Switzerland (AFP) -- A Swiss ski resort Tuesday wrapped up an entire glacier to stop it melting and to protect ski runs. The protective layer covers an area of 2,500 square metres (26,910 square feet) of the Gurschen glacier at Andermatt in the centre of the country, Andermatt Gotthard Sportbahnen SA which operates ski lifts said.
The sheet covering the glacier, situated in the canton of Uri, is 3.8 mm (0.15 inch) thick and made of synthetic fibres which protect the snow cover from ultraviolet radiation with the aim of preventing the ice from melting. It will be removed in the autumn and put back next spring.
Over the past 15 years the glacier has receded by about 20 metres from one of its stations, the ski lift company said.
But the WWF environmental group said that "covering up glaciers is not going to solve the problem of global warming." Only climate protection measures such as cutting back greenhouse gases are useful, it said in a statement.
Swiss Glacier Condom
Swiss ski resort swaddles glacier to stop melting
Tags: doomed, perversions
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14 Responses:
Dear Swiss people...?
I can only imagine the weird ecosystem that will develop around that covering...
That should be 27000 square feet. Significant figures, and all.
Anyway, that's less than two thirds of an acre. It's obviously a pet glacier, and you know how people like to dress up their pets.
Why does WWF enter into it?
Eight activists from the Greenpeace environmental group unfolded banners on the glacier overnight, calling for the protection of the climate rather than treatment of symptoms.
Now they have to worry about France sinking the glacier.
Since they had the thing made, they might actually know.
2500m3 converts to 26,910ft3. What's more likely: that they used a number of square feet, within one square foot, to convert to an even hundred square meters, or that they gave the media the number in square meters and the writer converted it for the article (with too many sig figs)?
It's most likely they made it to a meter spec, since they're Swiss and all, and then the writer converted it, in which case, 26,910 is actually correct for a conversion (if you round it to the nearest whole number). Why do you say they should round it higher?
This is really fascinating, guys. Please continue.
It's likely they rounded the meter spec to the nearest 100 square, which was the original point. If so, there are two sig figs, and thus the converted number should have two sig figs, not four or five. thus it's not correct for the conversion.
No problem, jwz.
Aha! And according to this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4533945.stm
They'ew way off with the 2500m^2 at that.
Have you seen Legal Daisy Spacing?
http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/2004/cur0406.htm
It is just about the weirdest book on things like shaving forests, custom covers for mountains, etc.
Comes with a handy ruler, too, for pedantic measuring emergencies!
That sounds interesting. I'll add it to my list of books to look for.
I often wonder what the yuppie fucks I see at ski resorts are thinking. They drive their 8000 pound H2 up the mountain, and then bitch when all the snow is melted from global warming. Duh!
How could that story not have an image with it? Here's one.
But somehow my imagination was better...
Meh.. and another: