Swiss glaciers melted 2.5% despite increased snowfall

Swiss glaciers have lost around 2.5% of their volume so far this year. The volume lost has reached 1.2 cubic kilometres, the equivalent of Lake Biel in Switzerland. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Despite a very snowy winter 2023/2024, glaciers melted at an above-average rate. The glacier retreat continues unabated, reported the Swiss Commission for the Observation of the Cryosphere (CSC) of the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences (SCNAT) on Tuesday. + Read why Swiss glaciers remain under threat After the large quantities of snow that fell at high altitudes in winter and the cool, rainy spring, scientists had long hoped for a respite for the glaciers, Matthias Huss, head of the Swiss Glaciological Survey Network (Glamos), told Keystone-ATS. But the hot summer months gave the glaciers a hard time. In addition, dust from the Sahara, which colored the surface of the snow, accelerated melting. In August 2024, Swiss glaciers lost ice at an unprecedented rate ...