Climate Adaptation
Go See the Biggest Glacier in France Before It All But Disappears
A tourist favorite for centuries, the Mer de Glace has lost about a third of its volume since 1900.
France’s largest glacier once looked so mighty sliding down the granite slopes of the Mont Blanc, Western Europe’s tallest peak, that early explorers struggled to find the words to capture it.
“You must imagine your lake put in agitation by a strong wind, all frozen at once,” wrote British adventurer William Windham, one of the first tourists to explore the glacier in 1741. “Perhaps even that would not produce the same appearance.”