Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleSwitzerland's glaciers experienced an "enormous" three per cent reduction in total volume this year, marking the fourth-largest annual decline on record. This significant loss means Switzerland's ice mass, home to Europe's most glaciers, has decreased by one-quarter over the past decade. Top Swiss glaciologists attribute the accelerated melting to global warming, specifically citing a winter with low snow depth and heatwaves in June and August. The ongoing glacial retreat has implications for hydropower, tourism, farming, and water resources across Europe, with over 1,000 small glaciers in Switzerland already having vanished. The melting is also impacting Switzerland's landscape, causing mountains to shift and ground to become unstable, as evidenced by a recent rock and ice mass incident in Blatten. In fullExperts concerned as Swiss glaciers see ‘enormous’ meltingThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Switzerland’s ice mass declined by one-quarter this decade
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleSwitzerland's glaciers experienced an "enormous" three per cent reduction in total volume this year, marking the fourth-largest annual decline on record. This significant loss means Switzerland's ice mass, home to Europe's most glaciers, has decreased by one-quarter over the past decade. Top Swiss glaciologists attribute the accelerated melting to global warming, specifically citing a winter with low snow depth and heatwaves in June and August. The ongoing glacial retreat has implications for hydropower, tourism, farming, and water resources across Europe, with over 1,000 small glaciers in Switzerland already having vanished. The melting is also impacting Switzerland's landscape, causing mountains to shift and ground to become unstable, as evidenced by a recent rock and ice mass incident in Blatten. In fullExperts concerned as Swiss glaciers see ‘enormous’ meltingThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
