Switzerland’s glaciers have lost nearly 20 percent of their total mass over the past five years, with 2026 registering the second-worst melt season on record, according to new findings from Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS).
“A Catastrophic Year”
Swiss glaciers lost 5.5 percent of their remaining volume in 2026 alone, GLAMOS found, following a summer of record heat that arrived after a winter with unusually little snowfall. GLAMOS network chief Matthias Huss did not mince words in describing the season: “The glaciers this year have lost enormous quantities of ice,” he said, calling 2026 “a catastrophic year.”
Huss made the comments while standing on the Scex Rouge glacier at nearly 3,000 meters altitude. “This is a glacier that isn’t surviving,” he said. “There will be probably no ice in 10 or maybe 15 years.”
While examining measurement equipment on the glacier, Huss pulled out an aluminum stake that had been fully embedded in the ice when installed in late July. By the time of his visit, more than three meters of it protruded above the surface.
“It’s not that we are surprised, because we know how fast the glaciers are melting,” Huss said. “But to see the colours of the mountains where there is no snow left, there is just these rocks and these dark glaciers that are a relic from the past… it’s just incredible.”
Melt Rate More Than Doubled in Five Years
Between 2022 and 2026, the melt rate at Switzerland’s glaciers was more than twice as high as in any previously monitored five-year period, according to the GLAMOS report, with total ice volume down almost 20 percent since 2021.
The acceleration stands out starkly against the longer historical record. While Swiss glaciers lost about 10 percent of their volume over the entire decade from 1990 to 2000, they lost 27 percent over just the past 10 years. GLAMOS based its 2026 findings on direct measurements at 23 reference glaciers taken in September, extrapolated across the roughly 1,300 glacial formations still remaining in Switzerland.
A Record-Breaking Summer
The report follows a summer in which June, July, and August each ranked as the hottest such month ever recorded in Switzerland since national measurements began in 1864, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology.
Protective snow cover on the glaciers, which normally helps reflect sunlight and slow melting, had already begun disappearing during June heatwaves and was completely gone by September, even at high altitude, GLAMOS said. “Alpine glaciers have no chance of surviving in the long term under such conditions,” the organization stated.
The melting was severe enough that researchers had to relocate measurement stakes, including on some of the highest-altitude glaciers, after the ice around the original installation points melted away entirely. Average ice thickness fell by 2.5 to 4 meters at some glaciers, while more exposed glacier tongues lost up to 10 meters of thickness over the summer alone.
Not Quite a New Record — But Close
Despite the severity of 2026, ice loss did not surpass the record set in 2022. Many glaciers had accumulated more snow heading into this year’s melt season than they had four years earlier, and reduced dust blown in from the Sahara Desert allowed glacier surfaces to reflect more sunlight rather than absorb it, slightly tempering the melt.
Four major glaciers were exceptions to that pattern, however, posting record losses this year, including the iconic Rhone Glacier and the Aletsch, the largest glacier in the Alps.
What It Means for Water Supply
As glaciers retreat, concern is growing over their role as a long-term water reservoir. Between July and September alone, Switzerland’s glaciers lost approximately 2.2 trillion liters of water.
Huss put the figure in perspective: “It’s more than four times the annual freshwater consumption of Swiss households.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Swiss glaciers melting faster than before?
A combination of record summer heat and below-average winter snowfall has left glaciers with less protective snow cover, exposing bare ice to direct sun earlier and for longer each year, accelerating melt.
Will Switzerland’s glaciers disappear completely?
Some already are nearing that point. GLAMOS has said smaller, lower-altitude glaciers like Scex Rouge may have no ice left within 10 to 15 years if current trends continue, though larger glaciers like the Aletsch are expected to persist longer.
Why does glacier melt matter beyond the mountains?
Glaciers act as natural water reservoirs, releasing meltwater gradually and helping sustain rivers, agriculture, and drinking water supplies, particularly during dry summer months. Their rapid depletion raises long-term concerns about water availability downstream.
How does 2026 compare to the worst glacier melt year on record?
2022 remains the single worst year recorded in the Alps, but GLAMOS data shows the five-year period from 2022 to 2026 saw melt rates more than double any previous five-year span.
Sources: GLAMOS (Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland); Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing GLAMOS director Matthias Huss; Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology.
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