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'Catastrophic': Swiss glaciers lose fifth of mass in five years
Yahoo • • general
Key Points:
- Switzerland's glaciers have lost nearly 20 percent of their mass in the past five years, with 2026 marking the second-largest melt on record, according to the Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS) network.
- In 2026 alone, Swiss glaciers lost 5.5 percent of their volume due to a record hot summer and a winter with little snowfall, leading experts to describe the year as "catastrophic" for glacier survival.
- The melt rate between 2022 and 2026 was more than double any previous five-year period, with 27 percent of ice volume lost in the past decade compared to 10 percent in the 1990s.
- Four major glaciers, including the Rhone and Aletsch glaciers, experienced record melting this year, raising concerns about the long-term availability of water resources in the region.
- Despite higher temperatures, the 2026 ice loss did not surpass the 2022 record due to increased snowfall before summer and less Sahara dust deposition, which helped reflect more sunlight away from the glaciers.
