Overview

• Over the past decade, Switzerland’s glacier ice mass has declined by about one quarter.
• This year’s loss amounts to roughly 1.4 cubic kilometers of ice, according to Glamos measurements.
• Snow reserves were exhausted by early July and the zero-degree line rose above 5,000 meters in August, stripping snow even from some summits.
• Scientists warn accelerating retreat is destabilizing mountains, citing the May rock-ice avalanche that buried Blatten.
• Glacier meltwater feeding rivers and lakes is already shrinking, and experts say peak runoff has likely been passed.