Experts concerned as Swiss glaciers see ‘enormous’ melting
Switzerland’s ice mass declined by one-quarter this decade
- Switzerland'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.