Switzerland's Glaciers Vanish at Alarming Rate, Study Finds

Switzerland's glaciers have experienced a 'devastating' year, losing 5.5% of their ice volume in 2026, according to a new study by scientists at ETH Zurich. This marks the second-lowest mass balance on record after 2022. Glacier thickness has decreased by an average of 2.9 meters (9.5 feet), with some glacier tongues losing up to 10 meters (32 feet) of ice.

Several smaller glaciers, including Bella Tola in the canton of Valais and Griessfirn in the canton of Glarus, have melted completely and permanently. The study's findings indicate an 'extraordinary ice loss,' driven by a combination of a winter with minimal snowfall and prolonged, intense heatwaves between May and September.

Glaciologists from ETH Zurich measured ice melt and snow accumulation at 23 glaciers across Switzerland. Their report highlights that the winter of 2025-2026 was among the ten least snowy on record. This lack of snow cover was followed by hot and dry conditions that led to excessive melting, even at high elevations. For 76 days, summer heatwaves pushed the freezing point above 4,000 meters, a Swiss record.

Major glaciers such as the Rhône, Aletsch, and Clariden recorded their greatest melt in 2026. The iconic Matterhorn, a mountain straddling Switzerland and Italy, is currently snow-free despite being well into the typical snow season. Images shared on social media contrasted its current bare appearance with the snow-covered state observed a year prior.

Over the past five years, Switzerland's glaciers have lost approximately 20% of their volume. This phenomenon is further contextualized by the Global Glacier Extinction Explorer, an interactive tool developed by scientists from ETH Zurich and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. This tool allows users to visualize the potential disappearance of glaciers under different global warming scenarios, with nearly half of the world's glaciers projected to vanish by 2100 if warming reaches 1.5°C.