Concerns mount as study reveals Switzerland’s glaciers shrink 25% in a decade

Switzerland’s majestic glaciers, long symbols of the nation’s pristine alpine beauty, have suffered a dramatic decline, losing a quarter of their volume over the past decade, according to a joint report by GLAMOS, Switzerland’s glacier monitoring network, and the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation (SCC) of the Swiss Academy of Sciences.

Over 1,000 smaller glaciers have already vanished, a stark reminder of the relentless march of climate change.

The year 2025, despite being designated the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, has witnessed a further 3 per cent reduction in glacier volume, marking the fourth-largest annual shrinkage on record—surpassed only by 2022, 2023, and 2003. The statement from GLAMOS and SCC highlighted that a winter of scant snowfall, followed by searing heat waves in June and August, triggered an early and accelerated melting of ice masses across the country.

Snow reserves from the winter depleted unusually early, by the first half of July, causing glaciers to begin their seasonal melt sooner than ever, the SCC noted. Glaciers situated below 3,000 meters above sea level were hit hardest, with some losing over two meters of ice thickness, while others still faced reductions of around one meter.

Matthias Huss, director of GLAMOS, warned of the broader implications of this relentless glacial retreat:

“The continuous diminishing of glaciers also contributes to the destabilisation of mountains. This can lead to catastrophic events such as in the Lotschental valley, where an avalanche of rock and ice buried the village of Blatten.”

Switzerland’s glaciers, once silent sentinels of time, are now sounding an urgent alarm. Their retreat not only reshapes the alpine landscape but threatens the safety of communities nestled in these towering mountains. The findings serve as a vivid reminder that the delicate balance of nature is under siege, and the race to protect these frozen giants has never been more urgent.

With IANS inputs