Swiss Glaciers Facing Unprecedented Light Snowfall and Heat Wave: What Scientists Are Discovering

Switzerland’s glaciers have seen significant melting over the past year. According to the monitoring body GLAMOS, this marks the fourth-largest ice volume reduction on record.

A mild winter with little snow, especially in the northeastern Swiss Alps, and heat waves in June led to a loss of about 3% of the total ice mass. Matthias Huss, the director of GLAMOS, highlighted that while this year’s melt isn’t as severe as in 2022 and 2023, when glaciers lost 5.9% and 4.4% respectively, there’s a clear ongoing trend.

In fact, the last decade has been the worst on record for ice melt. Switzerland has lost a quarter of its glacier volume since 2015. Huss noted that the Rhone Glacier, once the largest in Europe, has shrunk drastically, averaging a thickness loss of about 1.5 meters this year.

Between 2016 and 2022, about 100 glaciers vanished completely. The alarming projection suggests that most Swiss glaciers could disappear by the end of the century. Huss mentioned that even if climate conditions stabilize today, glaciers will keep retreating. However, if global carbon dioxide emissions drop to zero in the next 30 years, up to 200 glaciers at higher elevations could be saved.

Glaciers below 3,000 meters faced the greatest challenges this year. The Silvretta Glacier, for instance, experienced significant melting—its worst since records began a century ago—due to exceptionally low snowfall.

The melting glaciers also pose risks beyond just ice loss. As they shrink, they destabilize surrounding mountains, increasing the likelihood of rock and ice avalanches. A recent example is the glacier collapse in Blatten, Valais, which caused extensive damage to the village this past May.

As glaciers continue to melt, they serve as stark reminders of climate change impacts. Experts stress the need for urgent action to address carbon emissions to preserve what remains of these critical natural wonders. Understanding these changes is crucial for both environmental awareness and safety in mountain regions.

For more on the effects of climate change on glacial regions, you can check the [World Glacier Monitoring Service](https://www.wgms.ch). This information highlights the urgent need to engage in climate action while we can still make a difference.

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Switzerland, heat waves, climate change