The Rhonegletscher has experienced a dramatic retreat since the maximum of the Little Ice Age in the mid 19th Century, when its terminus was not far from the village of Gletsch. The proglacial lake seen on the very left side of this 2013 photo started to form around 2006. Part of the glacier tongue is covered by a fibrous web, with the intention to reduce melting and enable the operation of an ice tunnel for touristic purposes.