I ghiacciai come fattori di ricchezza economica

The alpine glaciers as factors of economic wealth

Abstract

In the alpine region many economic activities are strictly linked to the modelling action practised by the (pleistocenici) glaciers or to the of the actual glaciers. The wide U shaped valleys, the ample outlet glaciers opened in the crests watershed, are due to the powerful erosion practice of the glaciers that in the [Pleistocene] era filled the valleys furrows and flew, with wide tongues, between the opposite slopes of the top crests. These valleys and these mountain passes made the transalpine transits and the human installations possible, with great influence on the life and the activities of the local populations. The actual glaciers represents the big sweet water reservoirs from which the alpine streams draw life. Their characteristic regime, consisting in rich flows in the hot months, is the direct consequence of the glaciers melting. Since the ancient times, man has learned to use these waters to irrigate cultivable soils, resulting particulary dry in summer for the strong evaporation of the underground waters. Agriculture, and particularly fodder production, is, in the Alps, a gift of the glaciers. This is also true for the industries using mainly the hydroelectric energy obtained from the waters of the glaciers. The rarity of the glacial phenomenon in the European continent has made it the biggest attraction for mountain tourism. Since the 18th century, the villages set beside the great icy mountains have become fancy resorts: Chamonix, Zermatt, Grindenwald, St. Moritz, Courmayeur, Valtournenche, Ayas, Gressoney, Cogne etc. Nowadays the development of winter sports, in many cases, has enriched of the winter season the old centres grownoriginally for their attractive icy landscapes. In some areas it was also possible to equip the glaciers for summer ski: in all these cases the glaciers have become tourist attractions of primary importance. The glaciers of the Alps there fore don't represent only «great and beautiful questions» («Des grosses et des belles questions») as Mr. Forel wrote in 1887, but also important economic resources for transits, agriculture, industry and tourist activities.