Swiss glaciers lose significant volume in 2023
Swiss glaciers continued their rapid decline in 2023, shedding 6.3% of their remaining volume amid high temperatures and low snowfall. This marks the second-largest annual loss on record, following a 6.7% drop in 2022. Glaciologists warn that the ongoing melt threatens water resources and ecosystems in the Alps.
The Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS) reported that the country's glaciers lost 6.3% of their volume between October 2022 and September 2023, reducing the total ice volume to about 58 cubic kilometers. This measurement, based on data from 90 monitored glaciers, represents the second-highest annual loss since systematic observations began in 1960. Only the previous year's 6.7% decline was more severe.
The melt was driven by a combination of factors, including unusually low winter snowfall and extreme summer heatwaves. 'The 2023 summer was one of the warmest on record, accelerating ice loss across the Alps,' said Matthias Huss, a glaciologist at ETH Zurich and coordinator of GLAMOS. Specific glaciers showed varying degrees of retreat: the Gorner Glacier lost 3.8% of its volume, while the Aletsch Glacier, Europe's largest, saw a 2.7% reduction.
Since the turn of the millennium, Swiss glaciers have lost more than half of their volume, with over 50% disappearing between 2000 and 2023 alone. This trend aligns with broader climate patterns in the region, where rising temperatures—now 2°C above pre-industrial levels in the Alps—have shortened the accumulation season and extended melt periods. Huss emphasized the implications: 'Glaciers act as natural reservoirs, providing summer water for rivers, agriculture, and hydropower. Their continued loss could lead to water shortages during dry periods.'
The GLAMOS data, collected through field measurements, satellite imagery, and modeling, underscores the urgency of emission reductions. No contradictory reports emerged from the single source, but experts note that while 2023's loss was severe, a cooler summer in 2024 might slow the pace slightly. Still, the long-term trajectory remains downward, with projections indicating that most Swiss glaciers could vanish by 2050 if global warming exceeds 1.5°C.