Rivers are heating up and threatening even nuclear production in Switzerland

Geneva, February 15 A scientific study has revealed that the rivers in Switzerland are warming at a rate similar to global warming, which is not only threatening the alpine country’s ecosystems but could limit hydroelectric and nuclear energy production. , need this water. These are the main conclusions of a study published today by EPFL, which indicates that river courses have increased at a rate of 0.33 degrees per decade since 1980, a rate that is also accelerating (0.37 degrees) between 1999 and 2019. ). This warming has already had dire consequences: in 2018, the Swiss nuclear power plant Mühleberg was forced to reduce production in the summer, because the temperature of the nearby Aar River, whose water is used to cool facilities, was too high for safety standards. In the same year, groups of fish had to be resettled from mountain streams, whose lives were in danger due to rising temperatures and lack of water, among other factors. said expert Adrien Michel, of EPFL’s CRYOS Laboratory, who led the study. The research, which was also carried out by the Federal Institute for the Study of Snow and Avalanches, warns of a loss of balance in alpine ecosystems, as glacier melting has allowed rivers to maintain a relatively low temperature year-round, which is no longer the case. It occurs due to the increased frequency of heat waves in the summer. By analyzing the evolution of Swiss rivers between 1979 and today, the scientists also discovered an average decrease in flow of 3% per decade over 40 years, which increases to 10% if only the past two decades are taken into account. With less water and if many of the Alpine glaciers disappear, other Swiss scientific studies warn, rivers will heat up more quickly, putting the Alpine ecosystem at risk, warns EPFL.