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Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% ice in 12 months
BBC News··1 Oct
Swiss glaciers lost an estimated 5.5% of their remaining ice in the last 12 months, Glacier Monitoring Switzerland reported. Scientists said more than 5% disappearing in one year is extraordinary compared with past thresholds near 2%. Meltwater releases reached about 2.2 trillion litres between July and September. Director Matthias Huss said rapid thinning threatens future farm, hydropower and transport water.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Farmers and hydropower operators relied on glacier melt during this summer's heatwaves.
- River Rhine record lows affected shipping routes and raised transport costs, the report said.
- Smaller glaciers may not replenish water levels to the same extent after such losses.
What's Happening
- Early May and June heatwaves exposed bare glacier ice after a mild winter snow deficit.
- Scientists found no snow remaining even at 3,500 metres at some measurement sites.
- Huss called the pace disastrous while saying it matched climate expectations.
Alpine Melt Pace
- Glaciologists once treated 2% annual ice loss as extreme in the Alps.
- Some glaciers such as Plattalva in eastern Switzerland have already disappeared.
- Researchers said emission cuts could still protect ice in the Himalayas and polar regions.
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