The Anton Melik Geographical Institute started observing the Triglav Glacier in 1946. Its research has determined that the glacier was formed during the Little Ice Age in the 16th century, Matej Gabrovec of the institute pointed out.

A geodetic measurement allowed the institute to determine the volume of the glacier. In 1952, it measured 2 million cubic metres, while today its size is only 3% of that. The glacier shrunk the most in 2003.

The institute started observing the glacier with the help of modern technology in the 1990s and today the glacier can be monitored by means of a live web camera.

The glacier observations leave no room for doubt that global warming is real, said Klemen Bergant, the director of the Meteorological Office of the Environment Agency. They were of key importance to this realisation, he added.

The temperature around the glacier has increased by 1.7 degrees Celsius in the past 40 years, Bergant noted at today's news conference in Ljubljana.