Swiss Ice Masses Lose Over 5% of Volume After Unprecedented Heatwave - Sarmad

(Roeters) – Swiss glaciers are shrinking at their fastest rate, having suffered one of the most severe volume losses due to an unprecedented heatwave that swept across Europe.

A report issued by the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network and the Swiss Commission for Glacier Monitoring of the Swiss Academy of Sciences stated that the volume of glaciers in the country decreased by more than five percent in 2026.

These findings highlight the accelerating pace of glacier retreat, as years with massive melt rates have become commonplace.

The report showed that Swiss glaciers have lost nearly 20 percent of their volume over the past five years, threatening future water supplies and raising questions about the long-term sustainability of ice coverage in Europe.

Matthias Huss, director of the Glacier Monitoring Network, said, “We are now in this new world, in this future, where glaciers simply melt.”

The combination of reduced winter snowfall and record summer temperatures led to what Matthias Huss described as “massive” melting this year.