Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of their total volume in 2026, according to a report released on Wednesday, September 30, by Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (GLAMOS) and the Swiss Academy of Sciences. The data showed the ice disappeared over the last 12 months, a rate that scientists described as extraordinary. The report follows a summer characterized by heatwaves and a winter with below-average snowfall.
Glaciologists stated that the melting pace has accelerated, noting that a 2% annual loss was previously considered extreme. The 2026 decline follows a record 6% loss in 2022. Dr. Matthias Huss, director of GLAMOS, attributed the loss to several factors, including a mild winter that left a thin snow cover. This allowed early heatwaves in May and June to expose the darker, less reflective glacier ice, which then absorbed more solar energy and melted faster during subsequent heatwaves.
The report found that even at measurement sites 3,500 meters above sea level, where temperatures are typically lowest, no snow remained by the end of the summer. Researchers observed up to four meters of ice loss at these high-elevation points, where winter snow usually accumulates to form new ice. Some smaller glaciers, such as Plattalva in eastern Switzerland, have already disappeared, while larger ice fields like the Rhône and Aletsch suffered record losses this year.
The scale of the impact is visible across several industries and regions. This summer, low water levels in the River Rhine and Danube affected freight shipping, increasing transportation costs for businesses, while nuclear power plants had to temporarily shut down due to a lack of cooling water from the rivers. For the households and businesses that depend on these waterways, the loss of glacier regulation could lead to more frequent and severe droughts. Furthermore, the loss of glacier ice and the thawing of permafrost increases the risk of natural disasters. In 2025, the Swiss village of Blatten was damaged by a landslide involving 9 million cubic meters of ice, rock, and mud, leaving residents in temporary housing a year later.
The melting also has global effects for sea-level rise and international disaster risks. Scientists noted that the collapse of a glacier in Nepal in August 2026 triggered floods that killed 1,400 people. While glaciologists stress that sharp cuts to fossil fuel emissions could still stabilize larger ice masses in the Himalayas and polar regions, they predict that if current warming trends continue, all Swiss glaciers could disappear by the end of this century. Monitoring will continue through the next winter season.