Swiss glaciers shrink rapidly as ice loss accelerates across Alps

Swiss glaciers have lost about 25% of their ice volume in the last ten years, scientists say. The melting has been faster than at any other time on record. In 2025 alone, glaciers lost nearly 3% of their volume. Glaciers below 3,000 metres were hit hardest, with some losing more than two metres of thickness. Over 1,000 small glaciers have completely disappeared. The years 2022 and 2023 were especially damaging, with a combined loss of 10%. Experts say the main causes are warmer summers and less snow in winter. Since the 1930s, at least 1,400 Swiss glaciers have lost more than half their total volume. Even in 2024, when winter snowfall was unusually high, glaciers still lost 2.5% of their ice.