Glaciers are melting faster than ever before in Switzerland. New measurement data shows that Swiss glaciers lost more than 5 per cent of their volume in 2026, following a winter with little snow and record-breaking summer heatwaves.
Glaciers are melting faster than ever before in Switzerland. New measurement data shows that Swiss glaciers lost more than 5 per cent of their volume in 2026, following a winter with little snow and record-breaking summer heatwaves.
Switzerland’s glaciers lost more than five per cent of their ice volume in 2026. While, overall, the record melt rates of 2022 were not quite reached, on average, glacier thickness decreased by 2.5 to 4 metres this year, and some glacier tongues lost up to 10 metres of ice.
The Rhône, Aletsch, and Clariden glaciers, among others, experienced their greatest melt on record in 2026. Several smaller glaciers disappeared completely and permanently, including Bella Tola in the canton of Valais and Griessfirn in canton Glarus. Nearly 20 per cent of Switzerland’s glacier volume has disappeared in the past five years alone. The new data highlights how rapidly Switzerland's glacier landscape is changing.
Read More: ETH Zurich
The Claridenfirn glacier in canton Glarus is completely free of snow in September 2026. (Photo Credit: M. Huss)
