THE UK’s longest lasting snow patch, known as the Sphinx, has melted away and disappeared.
The patch, located on Braeriach in the Cairngorms, has only vanished eight times in 300 years.
According to snow patch expert Iain Cameron, warmer temperatures due to climate changes seem to be the “logical” explanation for the melting.
He said records show the Sphinx has only melted eight times over a 300 year period – in 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017 and 2018. Prior to the 20th century, it is believed it last melted in the 1700s.
Cameron explained that warmer conditions are impacting on snow patches in Scotland’s mountain ranges.
"What we are seeing from research are smaller and fewer patches of snow,” he told the BBC.
"Less snow is falling now in winter than in the 1980s and even the 1990s."
Laura McCallum of Protect Our Winters said it’s important that action is taken to stop further temperature increases.
"We have to maintain a healthy temperature for our ecosystems and communities to survive,” she added.
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