The Glacier des Bossons is a sad shadow of itself
In 1980 I visited the "Mer de Glace" as a 5-year-old child, and again in 2024, almost 45 years later. What a shock! The extent of the ice retreat is devastingly obvious. The "Mer de Glace" is the famous glacier in Chamonix at the foot of the Mont Blanc in France. Thousands of tourists pour through this spot every year, and have done for more than a century. In the photo I am pointing to the Aiguille du Midi.
The fact is, in my life time of 50 years, the extent of the ice retreat is appalling. Take a look at this comparison. On the left is me as a child in 1980. And on the right, you can just make out the top of my mother, Prue Bishop our Artist, pointing towards the same spot in 2024. If you look at the rocky ridgeline, you can see that the proportions are correct. "ah but this was winter in 1980...", you say. No it wasn't. It was the school holidays in the summer of 1980, in July.
Here is the full size of the 2024 image to give some context. In conclusion we can see that more than half has gone and what is left is a giant hole. I once stood on that ice in 1980 what would be now mid air.
This is the impact of Global Warming and is the inspiration for Prue Bishop's artistic work. It draws attention to mankind's impact on the environment. I particularly like her impression of the Glacier des Bossons. This is her Sculptural Watercolour painting of it (50 x 70 x 5.5cm F37 2012) The Bossons Glacier and Mt. Maudit. The brown area at the bottom of the watercolour painting is where the glacier and ice-cavern used to be.
If you click on the image it will take you to her collection of paintings on Global Warming, and her eBook that explains the context for each, in a more detailed manner than I have done here in this blog post. 