Swiss glaciers have lost around 2.5% of their volume so far this year. The volume lost has reached 1.2 cubic kilometres, the equivalent of Lake Biel in Switzerland.
Despite a very snowy winter 2023/2024, glaciers melted at an above-average rate. The glacier retreat continues unabated, reported the Swiss Commission for the Observation of the Cryosphere (CSC) of the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences (SCNAT) on Tuesday.
After the large quantities of snow that fell at high altitudes in winter and the cool, rainy spring, scientists had long hoped for a respite for the glaciers, Matthias Huss, head of the Swiss Glaciological Survey Network (Glamos), told Keystone-ATS.
But the hot summer months gave the glaciers a hard time. In addition, dust from the Sahara, which colored the surface of the snow, accelerated melting.
More
More
Glacier melt causes changes to Swiss-Italian border
This content was published on
Switzerland has adapted its borders with Italy and France. The changes with Italy are linked to melting glaciers, while those with France concern a tram line and rivers in the Geneva region.
In August 2024, Swiss glaciers lost ice at an unprecedented rate since measurements began.
Translated from French by DeepL/mga
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.