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Can sheep escape glaciers? Swiss scientists' unusual experiment

2026-09-03 21:21:02Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Can sheep escape glaciers? Swiss scientists' unusual experiment
Swiss Alps

An unusual experiment in the Swiss Alps is testing whether sheep wool can slow the melting of glaciers and replace plastic mulch.

Reuters/ As Switzerland struggles to curb melting glaciers, scientists are conducting an unusual experiment in the Alps to see if one of the country's most underappreciated natural resources can help - sheep wool.

For years, during the summer months, areas of ice and snow have been covered with synthetic fabrics that reflect sunlight and reduce heat absorption. This is done to slow down the melting of the ice, which has been significantly accelerated by global warming and is gradually disappearing the high alpine landscapes that have characterized the region for thousands of years.

But these covers are usually made of plastic and can release polluting microfibers.

For this reason, the "Keep It Wool" project, led by the environmental organization Summit Foundation and the University of Lausanne, is testing wool as a natural alternative to slow the melting of the Tsanfleuron glacier, in western Switzerland.

Can sheep escape glaciers? Swiss scientists' unusual experiment

Record temperatures this year have caused snow on glaciers to melt several weeks earlier than usual. This is expected to accelerate ice loss, which is also linked to an increased risk of rockslides, like the one that destroyed the village of Blatten in 2025, as well as severe flooding, like the one that hit the Himalayas last week.

Project manager Timothee Steiner said the team wanted to find a biodegradable alternative to synthetic covers, while also giving a use to Swiss wool, about 40-70% of which is thrown away each year.

The idea was born from four master's students at the university, who decided to put it into practice.

Can sheep escape glaciers? Swiss scientists' unusual experiment

In June, two wool blankets, manufactured by the Swiss company Fisolan, were laid over an area of ​​about 200 square meters on the Tsanfleuron glacier. Throughout the summer, researchers compared their performance with that of a traditional geotextile cover.

The first results have been better than expected. Steiner said measurements taken every two weeks showed that the wool covers limited ice melting just as well as the synthetic ones.

Niklaus Saegesser from Fisolan said he was surprised by the durability of the material.

"I thought it wouldn't be durable enough," he said.

Can sheep escape glaciers? Swiss scientists' unusual experiment

Even student Elliot Gaffiot admitted that the team wasn't sure what result they would get.

"Now we have a result that we can see and even touch. It worked extremely well," he said.

However, project leaders emphasize that wool blankets are not a solution to global warming.

Can sheep escape glaciers? Swiss scientists' unusual experiment

Only about 0.02% of Switzerland's glacier surface is currently covered with protective material. Scientists say the only way to significantly and long-term stem the loss of ice is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which largely come from the use of fossil fuels.

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