Switzerland's scenic glaciers undergo 'massive ice loss,' experts deem it 'catastrophic'

Record high summer heat and poor winter snowfalls have cost Switzerland 10% of its total glaciers, according to new research. Experts have described the event as "catastrophic," given that Switzerland is home to the most glaciers in any nation across the European continent, as per Sky News.

The country witnessed 4% of its total glacier volume vanish in 2023, marking the second-biggest drop in a single year. Last year, it lost 6% of its total glacier volume. In these 24 months, it has lost as much ice as it did in three decades before 1990, as per researchers. 

A team of scientists from the Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (GLAMOS) cited the "massive ice loss" to a winter with extremely low levels of snow, which is essential for glaciers. By falling on top, the snow protects glaciers from direct sun exposure and scorching hot temperatures. 

The ice melt has impacted the entirety of Switzerland, including the Alps. The most affected glaciers include those in the southern and eastern regions. At one point, the GLAMOS team was forced to stop its monitoring operations due to large quantities of ice melting.

How bad is it? GLAMOS team lead explains 

Matthias Huss, who leads GLAMOS, documented the lakes that have formed next to glaciers and how water that once was ice has made its way down from ice caves. Images shared by him on social media also feature rocks being bare due to the thinning and disappearing of ice.

Two (!) years of #glacier retreat on Rhonegletscher. Not just a bit of "normal" ice melting but the two most disastrous years for Swiss glaciers in history.
Pics: A. Cremona @VAW_glaciology @Enlaps_live pic.twitter.com/D1sdxdrI76

— Matthias Huss (@matthias_huss)

"This year was very problematic for glaciers because there was really little snow in winter, and the summer was very warm. The combination of these two factors is the worst that can happen to glaciers," he said, adding the climate crisis has also further aggravated the issue. 

In some areas, corpses that were once lost have been discovered by authorities as ice sheets dissipated. "Melting of several metres was measured in southern Valais (region) and the Engadin valley at a level above 3,200 metres (10,500ft), an altitude at which glaciers had until recently preserved their equilibrium," the team said.