Expert gives grim warning after Swiss glaciers shrink 20% in 5 years

Switzerland's glaciers have lost an alarming 20% of their mass in just five years, according to experts. The GLAMOS network released a study revealing that 2026 was the second biggest melt year on record, with 5.5% of the glaciers' volume vanishing this year alone. Matthias Huss, the chief of GLAMOS, described the situation as "catastrophic" and warned that there may be no ice left in 10 to 15 years.

The melt rate between 2022 and 2026 was more than twice as high as any other five-year period monitored, with nearly 20% loss in ice volume since 2021. While Switzerland's glaciers have been shrinking, the recent acceleration in melting is unprecedented. The 1990-2000 period saw only a 10% ice volume loss, while the last decade witnessed a staggering 27% loss.

This year, Switzerland experienced the hottest summer on record since measurements began in 1864, with June, July, and August all breaking previous temperature records. The protective snow cover on glaciers melted away during these heatwaves, leaving some high-altitude glaciers completely ice-free by September. Researchers had to relocate measurement stakes to higher elevations due to the extensive ice loss.

Average ice thickness decreased by 2.5 to 4.0 meters, and more exposed glacier tongues lost up to 10 meters of thickness during the summer. Although temperatures were higher this year, ice loss did not exceed the 2022 record, as some glaciers had more snowfall before the summer melt. Less dust from the Sahara Desert settling on the glaciers helped reflect sunlight back into the atmosphere.

However, four major glaciers, including the Rhone Glacier and the Aletsch, experienced record melting. As glaciers retreat, concerns over water resource availability grow. This year, glaciers lost around 2.2 trillion liters of water between July and September, equivalent to more than four times the annual freshwater consumption of Swiss households.