Swiss glaciers record worst melting rate in history

High summer temperatures and a dry winter have contributed to the loss of 6% of the volume of the Alps

Swiss glaciers have recorded their worst melting rate in more than a century of measurements. The Alps have lost 6% of their volume, almost double the previous record in 2003, according to the Cryospheric Commission of the Swiss Academy of Sciences. The hot summer combined with the low winter snowfall have been the main causes of the intensification of the phenomenon.

More than half of the glaciers in the Alps are in Switzerland, where temperatures are rising about twice the global average. In the video that accompanies this news you can see the consequences of climate change in the region. Some rocks, which have remained buried for millennia, have become visible again and some small glaciers have disappeared. Rising temperatures have melted the poles and caused waterfalls in the region.

The Swiss Academy of Sciences predicts that the magnitude of glacier loss may worsen in the future. “2022 was a terrible year for glaciers: All melting records were broken,” the academy said in a statement. On average, between three and four meters of ice thickness have been lost. Which means that a layer with this width has been removed from every glacier in Switzerland.

Scientists have claimed that it is not possible to stop the thaw in the short term. The UN has warned that, if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the glaciers of the Alps will lose more than 80% of their current mass until the year 2100.

Source: The Country