In short
- Swiss glaciers lost an estimated 5.5% of their remaining ice in the 12 months to the end of summer 2026, according to Glacier Monitoring Switzerland.
- Glacier Monitoring Switzerland director Matthias Huss described the loss as “really just disastrous”.
- Swiss glaciers released an estimated 2.2 trillion litres of meltwater between July and September 2026.
- Alpine glaciologists previously regarded 2% of ice lost in a single year as extreme.
- Scientists found no snow remaining at the end of summer at measurement sites as high as 3,500 metres above sea level.
Switzerland’s glaciers lost an estimated 5.5% of their remaining ice in the 12 months to the end of summer 2026, according to Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, the body that compiles the national survey. Its director, Matthias Huss, called the loss “really just disastrous”.
How much ice did Swiss glaciers lose in 2026?
Until recently, glaciologists in the Alps treated 2% of ice lost in a single year as “extreme”, the report notes. The estimated figure for 2026 is 5.5%. Swiss glaciers began the summer with less snow than usual after a mild winter, and much of what remained disappeared during intense heatwaves in May and June. Bare ice is darker and less reflective than fresh snow, so it absorbs more of the Sun’s energy, leaving glaciers more exposed during later heat.
What does the melting mean for water supplies?
Glacier meltwater is an important source of water for irrigation, hydropower and even shipping traffic during hot, dry conditions. Scientists estimate that Swiss glaciers released 2.2 trillion litres of meltwater between July and September 2026, which eased water shortages that summer while rapidly reducing the frozen supply. Huss said each drop running off during a heatwave is old water stored in glacier ice for decades or centuries, and that the resource is unsustainable. The River Rhine reached record lows in places this summer, disrupting navigation routes and raising transport costs, part of a year of extremes that also brought Hurricane Polo’s landfall in Mexico with 110 mph winds.
What did scientists find at the highest measurement sites?
At measurement sites as high as 3,500 metres above sea level, researchers found no snow remaining at the end of summer. Huss said some glaciers had lost four metres of ice at their highest point, where several metres of winter snow would normally still lie. Without snow surviving the summer, a glacier cannot replace the ice it loses at lower, warmer elevations, and will shrink and eventually disappear. Fabien Maussion, a glaciologist at the University of Bristol who was not involved in the Swiss report, said a decade ago he would not have believed glaciers could lose ice so quickly. He called the summer’s melting “extremely distressing” but “to be expected from a climate scientist’s perspective”, and compared it to an ice cube taken from a fridge and melting “in front of our eyes”.
Which glaciers have already disappeared?
Scientists say the climate is now too warm for many Alpine glaciers to survive, and some, such as Plattalva in eastern Switzerland, have already disappeared. Ice loss also destabilises mountain slopes and raises the risk of landslides, which in extreme cases can cause flash flooding, as in Nepal in August, when a large area of bedrock and glacier ice collapsed; researchers say long-term thinning and the thawing of frozen ground likely raised the risk. Separately, a coach crash in the Swiss Alps killed several Dutch tourists.
Can glacier loss still be limited?
Huss said sharp cuts to carbon emissions can still save much of the world’s glacier ice, particularly in the Himalayas and the polar regions, where most of the planet’s ice is held. Stabilising those ice masses would limit the rise of global sea levels, which could affect billions of people living along the coast, he said.
Frequently asked questions
How much ice did Swiss glaciers lose in 2026?
Glacier Monitoring Switzerland estimated that the country’s glaciers lost 5.5% of their remaining ice in the 12 months to the end of summer 2026, compared with the 2% that glaciologists previously treated as extreme.
Why are Swiss glaciers melting so fast?
A mild winter left less snow than usual on the glaciers, and heatwaves in May and June stripped much of it away. Darker, bare ice absorbs more of the Sun’s energy, so the glaciers melted faster in later heatwaves.
How much meltwater did Swiss glaciers release?
Scientists estimate that Swiss glaciers released 2.2 trillion litres of meltwater between July and September 2026, easing water shortages that summer while reducing the frozen reserve.
Can the glaciers still be saved?
Matthias Huss of Glacier Monitoring Switzerland said sharp cuts to carbon emissions can still save much of the world’s glacier ice, particularly in the Himalayas and the polar regions.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)