Swiss glaciers lose fifth of their mass in 5 years
Disproportionately affected by climate change, the glaciers have lost 27% of their mass over the past decade as melting accelerates.
Swiss glaciers have experienced an unprecedented loss of nearly 20% of their mass over the past five years, according to experts. This year, they have lost an additional 5.5% of their volume, making 2026 the second-worst year on record for melt. The Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (Glamos) network found that the glaciers had lost significant amounts of ice due to a record hot summer and a winter with little snowfall.
Matthias Huss, Glamos chief, described 2026 as a "catastrophic year" and said that some glaciers may not survive for another 10 or 15 years. The researchers had to reposition measurement stakes on several glaciers as the ice melted away. The Rhone and Aletsch Glaciers, two of the most well-known in Switzerland, experienced record melting this year.
The loss of ice volume is equivalent to more than four times the annual freshwater consumption of Swiss households. The rapid melting of glaciers in Switzerland is raising concerns about the future availability of water resources.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Swiss glaciers lose fifth of their mass in 5 years freemalaysiatoday.com
- Swiss glaciers lose over 5% of ice volume in 2026 as heat waves, low winter snow accelerate thaw winnipegfreepress.com
