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Glaciers in Switzerland lost more than 5% of their ice reserves in 2026, making it one of the most severe years since glacier records began in the country.
According to data released by the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS) and the Swiss Academy of Sciences’ Commission for Cryospheric Observation, glacier ice volume has declined by about 20% over the past five years.
Factors accelerating the melt
GLAMOS Director Matthias Huss said this year’s losses were caused by an unusually small snow cover during the winter and heatwaves that lasted from May to September.
Low snowfall deprived glaciers of the natural cover that protects them at the beginning of the season. Record temperatures later accelerated the melting process.
The melting rate in 2026 did not exceed the record level recorded in 2022. Swiss glaciers lost an even larger share of their ice reserves that year. Huss nevertheless expressed concern about the increasing frequency of extreme years.
“Almost every year is now becoming extreme, and this is creating an alarming situation,” the GLAMOS director said.
Glaciers lose billions of liters of water
Measurements taken at the Scex Rouge glacier in the Les Diablerets region demonstrated the scale of the melting. Three meters of a four-meter measuring rod placed in the ice in July had emerged by September.
According to Huss, this indicates that about three meters of ice melted at the glacier, located around 3,000 meters above sea level, in August and September alone.
Scientists estimate that glaciers across Switzerland lost about 2.2 trillion liters of water from July to September. This is more than four times the annual freshwater consumption of households in Switzerland.
Glacier melt may temporarily ease water shortages during the summer months. However, this benefit is expected to diminish as glaciers shrink.
Losses accelerate over the past decade
According to Matthias Huss, Swiss glaciers have lost 25%-30% of their volume over the past decade. By comparison, the average loss in each decade during the 1990s and around 2000 was about 10%. This indicates that the rate of ice loss has more than doubled.
The Aletsch Glacier recorded its largest annual melt in its history. At the Tsanfleuron Glacier, average thickness declined by more than four meters during 2026.
Huss said these changes would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago and described 2026 as a “tragic year”. He said more severe years are likely in the coming decades.
Scientists warn that the retreat of Alpine glaciers will reduce water supplies available during dry summer periods. As ice reserves shrink, the amount of freshwater stored in them will also gradually decline.
