The Fuji in Japan remains snow -free - 130 years of record broken

The Fuji in Japan remains snow -free - 130 years of record broken

November is just around the corner, but the iconic Mount Fuji in Japan is still snow -free. This represents the latest date without snow cover since the recordings started 130 years ago. Usually the tip of Japan's highest mountain is covered with snow until the beginning of October, but until Tuesday the summit remained bare. This raises questions about the effects of the climate crisis on one of the most popular landmarks in the country.

The meaning of the snow cover for the winter

The first snow display is a signal for the beginning of the winter and follows the Summer petition season this year on September 10th this year. ended. On average, the snow caps form on the Fuji on October 2, while they were recorded last year on October 5, as the weather agency Japan reports. However, the public broadcast NHK reported that the majority of the snow had melted again in early November due to warm temperatures.

weather conditions and records

The local meteorological office in Kofu, which has been reporting the first snowfall on the Fuji every year since it was founded in 1894, has not yet done so for this year and atypically warm weather as the reason. "Due to the continued high temperatures in Japan since the summer and the continued rainfall, there was no snowfall," said Shinichi Yanagi, a meteorologist of the Kofu office, compared to CNN.

On October 29 of this year, the lack of snow was found, which surpassed the previous record of October 26, which was recorded in 1955 and 2016.

heat record and their effects

Japan has recorded the hottest summer since the beginning of the statistics in 1898, the meteorological authority reported in September. The average temperature from June to August was 1.76 degrees Celsius above the normal value and thus exceeded the previous record of 1.08 degrees from 2010.

Even in autumn it remained unusually warm in Japan, with at least 74 cities of temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher registered in the first week of October, according to Analyzes The non-profit research group Climate Central.

global climate factors

The unusual heat including the record values in October became three times more likely due to the climate crisis. These extreme heat waves in Japan are not isolated because the summer this year is breaking records worldwide, while 2024 is on the way again, the warmest year in the recorded story to become.

The natural climate factor El Niño contributed to increasing temperatures, as well as human actions such as the combustion of fossil fuels that are the main cause of the climate crisis.

global responsibility

Scientists have long been warning that the Welt Pre -industrial level must limit to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change. A in January showed that the climate crisis in most of the parts Has reduced northern hemisphere in the past 40 years.

Later snow on Mount Fuji could be a worrying sign of where the world is moving. Warmer Winter have an impact on snow, local management, as well as on food and water supply and water supply and even allergies.

The 3,776 meter high Mount Fuji extends over the Prefectures Yamanashi and Shizuoka and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a symbol of Japan. As a rule, it is mostly covered with snow until the annual climbing season in July begins, which attracts millions of visitors who climb the summit or want to watch the sunrise from its famous slopes.

over -tourism and measures

In recent years, the mountain has suffered under overtourism Japanese authorities previously reported to CNN that visitors leave garbage, oversee the sanitary facilities and hike in insufficient equipment, which leads to accidents or injuries.

In July, the authorities introduced a tourist tax and issued new regulations to manage the crowds. Climbers now have to pay 2,000 yen (approx. $ 12.40) per person, with a maximum number of daily number of 4,000 climbers.