Arachova: As a child, Giannis Staithas remembers it snowing for days on end in Arachova, a village famous for its ski resort and long known as a winter playground for Greeks.“We couldn’t go to school because of the snow,” said Staithas, now mayor of Arakova and the surrounding area. “We would have been stuck at home for two days not being able to go out because of the snow.““We don’t see it here anymore.”Staithas says that snowfall on Mount Parnassos at an altitude of 2,400 meters (7,874 ft) is the same as it once was at 300 meters (984 ft).New findings from the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge confirm Mayer’s observations.“We found in 10 mountains across mainland Greece that snow cover is declining rapidly,” said Constantis Alexopoulos, a snow hydrologist at the University of Cambridge and the National Observatory of Athens and co-founder of the Hellenic Mountain Observatory. “We have lost more than half the ice cover since the mid-1980s.”40 years of use NASA and European Space Agency satellite imagery, the researchers used machine learning to estimate missing snow cover data and reconstructed gaps left by cloud coverage and rare satellite passes.ice as a reservoirAlexopoulos said the decline matters because the snow acts like a natural water reservoir.“Snowpack is really like a savings account,” he said. “You can deposit an amount today and the longer you keep it in this savings account without spending it, the interest value will grow. And Snow works exactly the same way.”Unlike rain, which quickly flows into rivers and the ocean, snow remains stored in the mountains “eventually melting when we need it most,” Alexopoulos said.This helps maintain water supplies during the dry season, which is especially important in Mediterranean climates where summer rainfall is limited.Climate change in the Mediterranean SeaThey said snow loss is driven primarily by rising temperatures linked to greenhouse gas emissions, which reduce both snowfall and the duration of snow cover on the ground.“The decline in snow cover that we are seeing in the Greek mountains is not linked to the natural climate variability that exists,” he said. “The current rate of climate change globally, and particularly in hotspots such as the Mediterranean Sea, is much faster than previously seen on Earth.”Alexopoulos said the team expected the fall, but were surprised by its magnitude. “Other mountainous regions of the world, such as the Andes or the Himalayas, … “All have experienced significant declines in snow cover but not at the rate we saw in the Greek mountains.”This study was one of the first long-term analyzes of the Greek mountains.“Mountain environments are inherently difficult to study because of their remote access,” Alexopoulos said. He said it is difficult to set up weather stations to take measurements and maintain a continuous record of observations.“In Greece we haven’t focused on it that much because we never really understood the importance of snow’s contribution to our water resources,” he said. “But as it’s changing and as it’s declining, we’re seeing those droughts, and we’re trying to explain them.”While Mount Parnassos was not part of the study, Alexopoulos said it is still representative of conditions seen throughout Greece.The effect of lack of snow is already visibleIn Arakova, in the shadow of Mount Parnassos, the results are already visible.“One hundred percent of Arachova’s water is supplied by snowmelt,” said local restaurateur Aktida Kouritou.He said local people have become more aware of water scarcity and are taking extra precautions not to waste water, especially during summer when water scarcity is most severe.According to the mayor, this is a matter of great concern as springs in Arachova are drying up and reservoirs are not refilling.“The biggest problems start in late August and early September and last until late September or early October,” Staithas said.According to Staithas, the unexpected snowfall in April took locals by surprise and was welcomed as a top-up, but “will hardly help in filling the reservoirs”.acclimatize to less snowOfficials are trying to adapt. The municipality is exploring the construction of small dams so as not to waste water, while the ski center is also implementing snow retention measures to help preserve it longer.Less snow also means drier vegetation and greater fire risk. Staithas said that in the past fires were not really a problem in northern Greece, but that has changed.“You could have set fire to pine trees 30 years, 40 years ago and there would have been no chance that the mountain would burn,” he said. “But now there is a big danger due to severe drought.”Arachova’s ski-based economy is also changing.Koretou, who worked at the ski center when it opened in the early 1980s, said the ski season now starts in January instead of December.“No one will come to the mountains for Christmas. They will go to Switzerland. Wherever they can find snow, they will go there,” he said. “So they go away and (business) goes down. This Christmas, at least for me, it was down 30%.”In response, the municipality is trying to diversify beyond winter tourism, and promote the mountain town of Arachova as a summer destination.“Someone can swim and be here in 20 minutes to be where it’s cool,” Staithas said. “But to be able to continue tourism in the summer, we must have water.”I remember the past wintersLocal people still remember what winters were like. Koretou remembers farmers harvesting grapes in late October, before the first snowfall. People left shovels behind their doors and neighbors worked together to clean the streets. She also remembers parts of the mountain where the snow never completely melted before the next winter came.“There are some years when disappointments overtake you,” Koretou said. “For those of us who know winter well, it’s disappointing not to see snow. You want it in the winter. The change is huge.”