Swiss glaciers considerably melt after less snowing and heat waves, scientists says

A drone view shows the Turtmann glacier on a warm summer day, amid climate change, in Turtmann, Switzerland, September 3, 2025. /Photo: REUTERS

1st October, the Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS) reported various glaciers in Switzerland have sharply melted throughout past 12-months, marked as their fourth-largest reduction in ice volume on record.

A winter with little snow, especially northeastern of Swiss-Alps until the severe heatwave in last June, cause the glacier that lost 3%, according to GLAMOS

Though the ice melt was not as extreme as in 2022 and 2023, when the glaciers lost 5.9% and 4.4% respectively.

A drone view shows glaciologist Matthias Huss of ETH Zurich and his colleagues Lander van Tricht and Andreas Linsbauer walking on the Gries glacier during a field trip, amid the impact of climate change, in Obergoms, Switzerland./ Photo: REUTERS

Switzerland faces the worst decade of glacier melt, in which its volume lost a quarter since 2015.

The Rhone Glacier is the biggest glacier in Europe since the ice age, melting rapidly, losing its thickness 1.5 meter in this year.

GLAMOS’ report revealed that more than 100 glaciers in Switzerland have shrinkily melted between 2016 and 2022, which will be considerably lost by the end of this century.

Glaciologist Matthias Huss of ETH Zurich holds a pole marking the six-metre ice loss since last September on the Gries glacier, highlighting the impact of climate change, in Obergoms, Switzerland. / Photo: REUTERS

Matthias Huss, director of GLAMOS, said “unfortunately that there are few glaciers that we can save, they will continue retreating anyway, even if the climate is stabilized today.”   

However, if we can set carbon dioxide emission to zero within these 30 years, the glaciers in Switzerland in more than 200 places can be stabilized.   

The report said Swiss glaciers, which are below 3,000 meters above sea level, heavily receive impacts this year after less snowing since measurement began 100 years ago.

Huss also warned the reduction of glaciers will consequence the stability of mountains, meaning the frequent possibility of avalanche as the devastating glacier collapse that destroyed the village of Bratten in May this year.

SOURCE: Reuters

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