Switzerland’s iconic glaciers are continuing to melt at an alarming rate, despite a winter filled with heavy snowfall. According to a recent study by Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS), the glaciers have shed 2.4 percent of their volume over the past year, with Saharan sand carried by winds exacerbating the summer melt.
The past twelve months have been exceptional in terms of both accumulation and melt for Swiss glaciers. Matthias Huss, head of GLAMOS, described the situation as a “massive loss of ice again,” warning that the glaciers “are retreating faster and faster” and “are on track to disappear.”
While the ice loss this year was less severe than in the previous two years—when Swiss glaciers lost over 10 percent of their volume—the 2.4 percent shrinkage remains well above the annual average of 1.9 percent between 2010 and 2020. Excluding the exceptional years of 2022 and 2023, the typical annual volume loss in recent decades has ranged between one and three percent.
“They will only be there in 100 years if we manage to stabilize the climate,” Huss cautioned, underscoring the urgent need for action to preserve these natural treasures.
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Despite snowy winter, Swiss glaciers 'on track to disappear'
cgtn.com
