Swiss scientists have found that sheep’s wool could offer an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic sheets used to slow glacier melting, after a 200 square metre trial on the Tsanfleuron Glacier showed promising early results.
The “Keep It Wool” experiment was carried out near the Glacier 3000 resort in western Switzerland, where researchers placed two 100 square metre wool blankets alongside conventional synthetic covers. Measurements taken throughout the summer indicated that the wool slowed ice loss by roughly the same amount as the synthetic geotextiles.
Conventional glacier covers can reduce local melting by around 50 to 70 per cent by reflecting sunlight and limiting heat transfer. The wool blankets, made by Swiss textile company Fisolan, also withstood strong winds, rain and repeated freezing and thawing during the trial.
The idea originated with four master’s students and was later developed with the Summit Foundation, the University of Lausanne and the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (Glamos).
The experiment also aims to tackle a waste problem. A significant share of Swiss sheep’s wool estimated at between 40 and 70 per cent is discarded or burned because of limited commercial demand. Researchers hope that turning the agricultural byproduct into biodegradable glacier covers could provide a useful second life for the material.
Plastic geotextiles have been used for years by Alpine resorts in Switzerland, Austria and Italy to protect selected sections of glaciers during the warm season. However, prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation and weather can degrade synthetic materials, potentially contributing plastic fibres to the surrounding environment.
Despite the encouraging results, scientists stress that wool blankets cannot address the broader causes of glacier loss. Protective coverings can only be deployed over small, economically important sections of ice because they are expensive and labour intensive to install and maintain.
Only about 0.02 per cent of Switzerland’s glacier area is currently protected by physical coverings, leaving the overwhelming majority exposed to rising temperatures.
The trial comes amid accelerating glacier retreat across the European Alps. Warmer summers and the earlier disappearance of seasonal snow expose darker glacier ice to sunlight sooner, increasing melting.
Researchers therefore view sheep’s wool as a potential local adaptation tool rather than a solution to global warming. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions remains essential to slowing the long term loss of glaciers and ice sheets.