Overview
- This week GLAMOS reported Swiss glaciers lost about 5.5% of their ice in 2026 and nearly 20% since 2022, a pace far faster than earlier decades.
- A snow‑poor winter followed by record June–August heat left protective snow gone early and drove extreme summer melt that released roughly 2.2 trillion litres of water between July and September.
- The short‑term extra meltwater eased river and reservoir shortages but reduces long‑term water storage and raises risks to hydropower, irrigation and mountain safety through thawing permafrost and more rockfalls.
- ETH Zürich model maps show Germany’s remaining small glaciers will lose official glacier status by about 2030 in most scenarios while one site may persist into the 2040s, underscoring imminent regional loss.
- Independent Antarctic syntheses and a satellite‑calibrated model ensemble raise the probability of net Antarctic ice loss this century and flag the Wilkes Subglacial Basin as a possible 3–4 metre sea‑level source if destabilised, but researchers warn that major ocean and bedrock observations are missing and call for multinational monitoring programs.