Alps app tracks treasures melting glaciers expose

The southwestern Wallis region said Tuesday the IceWatcher mobile phone application should help them collect and store glacial finds as quickly as possible.

Wallis contains several important glaciers, including the Aletsch, the largest in the Alps.

Due to global warming, glaciers are releasing relics of up to thousands of years, the Wallis cantonal authorities said in a statement.

"Preserved and isolated by ice, these elements are particularly fragile as soon as they are released.

"The cold preserves certain organic material in a remarkable way, but once out of this protective covering, the relics start degrading, which can quickly lead to their disappearance."

Glaciers in the Swiss Alps are in steady decline, losing a full two percent of their volume last year alone, according to the Swiss Academies of Science.