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Swiss Glaciers Suffer Near-Record Ice Loss in 2026
Developing
In Short: Swiss glaciers have suffered a near-record loss of ice in 2026, according to new data, with the front of the Morteratsch Glacier in south-east Switzerland particularly affected by warm air and water.
Swiss glaciers have suffered a near-record loss of ice in 2026, according to new data, with the front of the Morteratsch Glacier in south-east Switzerland particularly affected by warm air and water.
The pace of melting is alarming, driven primarily by fossil fuel emissions and the warming climate.
Researchers warn that such rapid melting could threaten water supplies for farming, hydropower, and transport in the coming decades.
The loss of glacier ice can also destabilize mountain slopes, increasing the risk of landslides and flash flooding.
Swiss glaciers began the summer season already in a difficult position, with less snow cover than usual after a mild winter.
Dr Fabien Maussion, a glaciologist at the University of Bristol, noted that the rapid loss of glaciers was unexpected just a decade ago.
Scientists observed no snow remaining at measurement sites as high as 3,500 metres above sea level, where temperatures are typically lower and glaciers are usually covered in snow.
At some glaciers, researchers recorded a four-metre loss of ice at the highest point, where winter snow should still be present.
Scientists described the 5.5% loss as 'extraordinary' and emphasized the complex nature of glaciers, which gain mass at the top and flow downstream.
Meltwater from glaciers provides an important source of water for irrigation, hydropower, and shipping during hot, dry conditions.
What's confirmed
- The front of Morteratsch Glacier in south-east Switzerland, which has been attacked by warm air and water Swiss glaciers have suffered a near-record loss of ice in 2026, new data shows, as intense summer heatwaves take their toll on Alpine peaks.
- The notable finding from this latest report is not so much that Swiss glaciers are shrinking - which is to be expected in our warming climate, driven primarily by fossil fuel emissions - but the sheer pace of melting.
- The loss of glacier ice can also destabilise mountain slopes and increase the risk of landslides in some places - which can lead to flash flooding in extreme cases, as seen in Nepal in August.
- Swiss glaciers started the summer in an already difficult place, covered by less snow than usual after a mild winter.
What's still developing
- "Ten years ago, I wouldn't have thought that it's possible to lose glaciers so quickly," said Dr Fabien Maussion, a glaciologist at the University of Bristol who was not involved in the report.
- "Every drop of water that runs off during these heatwaves is kind of old water that's been stocked in the glacier ice centuries or decades ago," he said.