This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Switzerland's glaciers lost more than 5% of their ice volume in 2026. Although melt rates did not quite reach the record levels of 2022, glacier thickness decreased by an average of 2.5 to 4 meters (8 to 13 feet) this year, and some glacier tongues lost up to 10 meters (33 feet) of ice.
The research is published in the journal GLAMOS—Glacier Monitoring Switzerland. The Rhône, Aletsch and Clariden glaciers, among others, experienced their greatest melt on record in 2026. Several smaller glaciers disappeared completely and permanently, including Bella Tola in the canton of Valais and Griessfirn in the canton of Glarus.
Nearly 20% of Switzerland's glacier volume has disappeared in the past five years alone. The new data highlight how rapidly Switzerland's glacier landscape is changing. The findings are presented in the annual report of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) and are based on long-term data on Swiss glaciers reported by GLAMOS, the Glacier Monitoring Network.
GLAMOS is headquartered at ETH Zurich and the universities of Fribourg and Zurich in Switzerland. The winter of 2025–2026 was among the 10 least snowy in the country since measurements began. Hot, dry conditions followed between May and September 2026, leading to excessive melt even at the highest elevations.
For 76 days, summer heat waves pushed the freezing level above 4,000 meters (13,100 feet)—more than twice the average and a Swiss record. By September, no snow remained even at 3,500 meters (11,500 feet), leaving glaciers without a protective snow cover. From July to September, Swiss glaciers released around 2,200 billion liters (581 billion gallons) of water—more than four times the annual drinking-water consumption of Swiss households.
While glacier melt helped reduce summer water shortages, this source of relief is dwindling as glacier area continues to shrink irreversibly. Matthias Huss, Annual mass balance on Swiss glaciers in 2026, GLAMOS—Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (2026). DOI: 10.18752/annualrep_2026 MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content.
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