Norway's glaciers at risk

Norway could lose some of its key tourist attractions as its glaciers are in danger to melt away, news agency NTB reported Sunday.

Giants glaciers like Jostedal Glacier and Folgefonna Glacier can be almost gone in 80 years, the report said.

"2018 was a very bad year for Norwegian glaciers. There was no mass surplus on any of those that we measure," said Hallgeir Elvehoy, senior engineer from the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE).

A warm year in 2018 showed one of the biggest decline since the measurements began, as the glaciers retreated 33 meters on average.

According to Elvehoy, Nigardsbreen, a glacier arm of the Jostedal Glacier, the largest glacier in continental Europe, has retreated 456 meters in 20 years.

The withdrawal of glaciers worldwide has been going on ever since the 19th century. In the first period, the main reason may have been natural changes in the Earth's climate.

But today the main cause is man-made climate change, researchers said.

"The models suggest that there will be very little ice left in southern Norway in the year 2100," Elvehoy warned.