Photographer Stefan Sclumpf stopped to admire the Rhone glacier during a hike in the heart of the Alps, and saw something unexpected. Five-acres of the glacier was covered in white fabric. 

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The Rhone glacier is the largest in the Uri Alps, and like glaciers the world over, it is experiencing retreat. In an effort to slow the melt, authorities have covered the glacier in UV-resistant fleece. 

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Glaciers in the European Alps have lost approximately two thirds of their volume since the 1850s, and the rate of melt has accelerated since the 1980s, according to the European Environment Agency. The Rhone's ice has retreated 4,600 feet in the past 150 years. The glacier can lose as much as 5 inches of thickness on a warm day. Wired.com reported that the UV-resistant blankets used on the Rhone glacier reduce retreat by 50 percent, but the solution is only short-term.

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"This protective action is effective for a few years, but doesn't work as an ultimate solution," Swiss glaciologist David Volken explained. "It's not possible to cover the whole Rhone glacier with blankets."

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