Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's EU delegate: Belgium categorically refused to touch Russian assets in its banks for fear of a Russian judicial backlash
Al Mayadeen's EU delegate: The European Union has failed to reach an agreement on the use of Russian assets frozen in Belgium
Trump: Will be seeing land action in Venezuela soon
Trump: first question to Xi will be fentanyl
Trump on reports of B1 bombers near Venezuela: Reports are not accurate
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The death toll from the airstrike that targeted the town of Arabsalim in South Lebanon has risen to two, in addition to four injuries
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike targeted the town of Arabsalim
Putin on new sanctions against Russia: Russia's energy sector remains confident, though some losses are expected
Putin calls talk of supplying Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv an attempt at escalation
Putin says he discussed with Trump the impact of the situation with Russian oil supplies on global prices, including in the United States

Swiss glaciers see a 'mind-blowing' 10% loss of volume in 2 years only

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 28 Sep 2023 18:24
  • 2 Shares
4 Min Read

Scientists have attributed the melting glaciers to the climate crisis, which has led to an increase in record-breaking temperatures. 

  • x
  •  Swiss glaciers lose 10% of their volume in two years
    Chunks of ice float in a lake in front of Rhone Glacier near Goms, Switzerland, on June 15, 2023. (AP)

According to scientists, global warming caused by fossil fuels is the cause of exceptionally hot seasons with very little snow volume, resulting in rapid melts of Switzerland's glaciers.

A report by the Swiss Academy of Sciences indicated Switzerland's total glacier volume loss this year was 4%, the second-biggest annual decline on record, with the greatest dip being in 2022, when there was a 6% drop, the largest thaw since records started.

The situation is so dire that most ice monitoring has been discontinued. Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (Glamos), which monitors 176 Swiss glaciers, recently stopped monitoring the St Annafirn glacier in central Switzerland since it had largely melted.

The head of Glamos, Matthias Huss, expressed, "We just had some dead ice left. It’s a combination of climate change that makes such extreme events more likely, and the very bad combination of meteorological extremes. If we continue at this rate … we will see every year such bad years."

He detailed that minor glaciers were vanishing due to the pace of ice loss. To prevent Switzerland from losing its ice, emissions must be reduced, he said, adding that even if the globe can limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, just one-third of Switzerland's glacier volume is expected to survive.

According to Huss, even though the small glaciers will inevitably disappear, at least "there will be some ice in the highest regions of the Alps and some glaciers that we can show to our grandchildren."

Related News

French wealthy move billions abroad fearing Macron taxes

Pro-Palestine rallies take over Europe despite Gaza ceasefire

This year's temperatures in the Swiss Alps were at an all-time high. The Swiss meteorological service discovered that the elevation at which precipitation freezes touched a new record overnight high in August, measuring 5,289 meters (17,350ft), an altitude higher than Mont Blanc. This broke the previous year's record of 5,184 meters.

For the first time, Huss discovered fresh lakes emerging near glacier tongues, as well as exposed rock protruding through diminishing ice. As ice sheets have decreased, bodies that had been lost under the ice have been discovered.

The country recently considered a referendum to move Switzerland toward carbon neutrality, to limit the effect of global warming on their melting glaciers. 

Half of Earth’s glaciers could still melt even if 1.5°C goal is met

A comprehensive study in January indicated that all the world's glaciers other than the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets show that over half of them will melt by the end of the century, even if the world fulfills its most aggressive global warming target.

The study, published in the journal Science, discovered that even with only 1.5°C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming above preindustrial levels, 104,000 of the world's more than 215,000 mountain glaciers and ice caps will melt, raising global sea levels by just under 4 inches.

A 1.5°C increase above preindustrial temperatures is currently extremely difficult to avert, implying that such a development may be nearly unstoppable. The outlook worsens with each extra degree of temperature rise.

According to the study, 3°C (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming would result in the disappearance of more than 70% of the world's glaciers and a 5-inch rise in global sea level. Even though many losses are already baked in, the authors argue that it is still worthwhile to attempt to avert as much warming as possible.

  • Switzerland
  • glaciers
  • global warming
  • Climate crisis

Most Read

From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
A woman with her purchased groceries walks out from an underground market, in Beijing, Wednesday, August 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Global brands in China face pressure from rising local rivals

  • Economy
  • 17 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Palestinians walk through the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza City, Thursday, October 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Politics

Unexploded ordnances in Gaza may take 30 yrs to clear, aid group says

Police stand guard before a press conference on the extradition of “Tren de Aragua” gang members from the United States, at the a high-security prison where they are being held in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, October 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Félix)
Politics

US immigration policies shaped by false 'Venezuela gang' threats

Demonstrators march at a protest opposing "Operation Midway Blitz" and the presence of ICE, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Chicago (AP)
Politics

HRW slams federal agents use of excessive force in Illinois protests

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with the Lebanese Prime Minister Nawwaf Salam ahead of a Cabinet meeting in the Presidential Palace, Baabda, Lebanon, October 23, 2025 (X/ @LBPresidency)
Politics

Lebanon OKs sea demarcation with Cyprus, restarts Block 8 exploration

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS