"Historic opportunity"

Glaciers: new insights from old aerial photographs

The University of Graz has purchased historical photographs taken by the US Air Force during the occupation.(Bild: Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv)

Aerial photographs from the 1940s, which have now been retrieved from a US archive, paint a detailed picture of glacier retreat in Austria. A team of researchers led by Graz glaciologist Jakob Abermann sees the discovery as a "historic opportunity".

"What immediately catches the eye is the significant change in the tree line," says Jakob Abermann. The glaciologist from the Institute of Geography and Spatial Research at the University of Graz is holding the first aerial photographs in his hands, which were recently purchased from a US archive. "A real treasure," the scientist is already certain.