Swiss glaciers lose over 5% of ice volume in 2026, nearly 20% in five years
Swiss glaciers lost more than 5% of their ice volume in 2026 as intense heatwaves and a low-snow winter drove another year of extreme melting, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to the latest data from the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS) and the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), the mean thickness of individual glaciers fell by between 2.5 and 4 meters, while some glacier tongues lost as much as 10 meters over the summer. Over the past five years, Switzerland's total glacier volume has declined by almost 20%.
Winter 2025/26 was among the 10 least snowy winters since measurements began, with low precipitation the main reason for the below-average snow depth. Every month from May to September was marked by dry conditions and at least one heatwave.
During these months, the freezing level remained above 4,000 meters on 76 days – more than twice the average and a record. The protective snow cover had already partly disappeared during the June heatwaves, and by September no snow remained even at 3,500 meters above sea level.
Several small glaciers have already disappeared, including the Bella Tola Glacier in Valais and the Griessfiren/Plattalvafirn in Glarus.
The 2026 measurement period ranked just behind the record year of 2022. Despite higher temperatures, the losses were not quite as high as in 2022 because many glaciers had slightly more snow than in that year. In addition, less Saharan dust was deposited on the snow in 2026, allowing more sunlight to be reflected.
However, some glaciers recorded their greatest melt on record in 2026, including Allalin, Clariden, Aletsch and Rhône.
Between July and September, Swiss glaciers lost around 2.2 trillion liters of water – more than four times the annual drinking water consumption of all Swiss households.
Glacier melt is still helping to ease summer water shortages, but this effect is already diminishing significantly as Switzerland's ice-covered area continues to shrink.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kyrgyzstan had established a fund to protect glaciers and the Issyk-Kul ecosystem as part of efforts to safeguard water resources and adapt to climate change.
