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Swiss glaciers facing 'enormous' loss from heatwave
🇮🇪 Ireland /Environment & Climate

Swiss glaciers facing 'enormous' loss from heatwave

From RTÉ News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Swiss glaciers are experiencing unprecedented ice loss due to a persistent European heatwave, with all winter snow expected to melt by Monday.
  • This marks the second-earliest "glacier loss day" on record, indicating a critical tipping point for glacier size reduction.
  • Scientists report that the current melting rate is three months ahead of a healthy state, with significant ice loss observed even in just 10 days.

Switzerland's glaciers are facing an "enormous" loss of ice, with the head of Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS) warning that all accumulated snow and ice from last winter is expected to have melted by Monday. This alarming development marks the second-earliest arrival on record of "glacier loss day," a tipping point signifying the complete melt of winter accumulation.

We're just seeing enormous ablation, ice melt rates and snow melt rates all over the Alps.

— Matthias HussGLAMOS network chief Matthias Huss describes the widespread ice and snow melt across the Alps due to the heatwave.

Any further melting between now and October will lead to a further reduction in the size of glaciers across the Swiss Alps. Data since 2000 shows that only in 2022 did this critical point arrive earlier, on June 26. The current grim scenario is attributed to the ongoing heatwave, compounded by a warm May and a winter with insufficient snowfall.

"We're just seeing enormous ablation, ice melt rates and snow melt rates all over the Alps," GLAMOS network chief Matthias Huss told AFP, noting that multiple Swiss weather stations have registered new all-time records. He emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, "We are three months too early compared to a healthy state."

We are three months too early compared to a healthy state.

— Matthias HussMatthias Huss expresses concern about the accelerated melting rate of Swiss glaciers.

Huss described a recent visit to the Rhone Glacier, where he observed one meter of ice melt in just 10 days. While a single heatwave is not typically a major problem, Huss explained that the prolonged duration of high temperatures is the critical issue. "The problem is rather that we have very high temperatures that last for a very long time," he said. The "very bad state of the glaciers at the moment" is a result of a combination of factors, including reduced snowfall and dust from the Sahara Desert in March.

It's very impressive to see, and this is just the effect of the heatwave.

— Matthias HussMatthias Huss comments on the significant ice melt observed at the Rhone Glacier.

This year's conditions are "surprisingly similar" to 2022, which was the most extreme year on record for glacial melt in the Alps. This year has seen 25% less snow replenishment compared to the 2010-2020 average. The early disappearance of reflective snow cover exposes the darker, more absorbent ice surface, accelerating melting through a feedback effect.

The problem is rather that we have very high temperatures that last for a very long time.

— Matthias HussMatthias Huss explains that prolonged high temperatures, not just a single heatwave, are detrimental to glaciers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by RTÉ News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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