SWITZERLAND — Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of their ice volume in 2026, the second-largest annual loss on record.

The previous highest annual loss occurred in 2022, when Swiss glaciers recorded a 6% ice loss. Matthias Huss leads the Swiss glacier monitoring network GLAMOS. His research documents a consistent trend of increasing ice loss since the early 2000s.

Matthias Huss said: "Look at them, it's not a hoax. The evidence is clear, and it's been clear for decades. And I think many people have understood that it's time to act now."

"It's really just disastrous," he said. Field measurements from the end of summer 2026 showed scientists observed no remaining snow at measurement sites up to 3,500 meters above sea level. Some glaciers experienced four meters of ice loss at their highest points by the end of summer 2026.

He described the exposed terrain in an interview. "They are completely devoid of ice. It's a moon landscape that is dry and dead. There are some little remnants, some ice blocks still lying around and melting there on the hot rocks." Alpine plants are seeding in areas previously covered by meters-thick glacier ice.

The Rhône and Aletsch glaciers experienced record ice loss in 2026. The Plattalva glacier in eastern Switzerland has disappeared.

Data from the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) and GLAMOS indicate Swiss glaciers lost nearly 20% of their total volume between 2021 and 2026. In the last 50 years, 1,200 smaller glaciers in Switzerland have disappeared. Glacier monitoring scientists predict all Swiss glaciers will disappear by the end of the century if current warming rates continue.

In 2026, the winter snow accumulation on Swiss glaciers was 25% below the average for the period 2010-2020, making it the fourth-lowest on record over the last two decades. Despite the low accumulation, Swiss glaciers released 2.2 trillion liters of meltwater between July and September 2026. The Office of Energy in Switzerland reported that this meltwater contributed to the country’s hydrological system, temporarily alleviating water shortages.

"Every drop of water that runs off during these heatwaves is kind of old water that's been stocked in the glacier ice centuries or decades ago. It's helping us [now] but it's unsustainable, so we won't have it at [our] disposal in the next heatwave," he said. Fabien Maussion, a glaciologist at the University of Bristol, commented on the speed of the changes.

"Ten years ago, I wouldn't have thought that it's possible to lose glaciers so quickly." He added that the situation was predictable. What's happened over the summer now is extremely distressing… but at the same time it was to be expected from a climate scientist's perspective.""

The physical instability of the mountains has led to disasters. A glacier collapse in Blatten, Switzerland, destroyed 300 homes in 2025. An estimated 9 million cubic meters of ice, rock, and mud buried homes in Blatten.

The main village of Blatten was evacuated prior to the glacier collapse in 2025. The Blatten glacier collapse was preceded by rockfalls and landslides from the Bietschhorn area onto the Birch Glacier, which collapsed under the burden of millions of cubic metres of debris. A 64-year-old shepherd died in the 2025 Blatten glacier collapse.

Residents of Blatten remain in temporary accommodation one year after the landslide. Residents of Blatten, who were displaced by a glacier collapse in 2025, are still living in temporary housing one year later, with no clear timeline for returning to their original homes. He noted the complexity of these events.

"It's a bit more complicated than just saying it's warm and the glaciers are disappearing, so the mountains are falling apart and causing disasters like this." He explained the role of multiple factors. "Combined with this heat, with the disappearance of the ice, with the warming of permafrost, climate change can be a triggering factor. That can just be the last bit that is missing to trigger such events."

Why It Matters

The 5.5% ice loss in 2026 represents a continuation of a severe multi-year decline, with Swiss glaciers losing nearly 20% of their total volume between 2021 and 2026. This rate of loss threatens long-term water security, as the 2.2 trillion liters of meltwater released in summer 2026 provided only temporary relief to the hydrological system. Scientists warn that this reliance on stored ice is unsustainable for future heatwaves.

Beyond water supply, the destabilization of high-altitude terrain poses direct risks to communities, as seen in the 2025 Blatten collapse that destroyed 300 homes and displaced residents who remain in temporary housing. The disappearance of 1,200 glaciers in the last 50 years and the prediction that all remaining Swiss glaciers could vanish by the end of the century reflect the scale of environmental change. Preserving these ice masses is linked to limiting global sea level rise, which affects coastal populations worldwide.

Timeline

Swiss glaciers recorded a record 6% ice loss in 2022.

Swiss glaciers released 2.2 trillion liters of meltwater between July and September 2026.

What's New

Matthias Huss, director of GLAMOS, has led glacier monitoring efforts in Switzerland for over 15 years, with his research documenting a consistent trend of increasing ice loss since the early 2000s. Swiss glaciers lost nearly 20% of their total volume between 2021 and 2026, according to data from the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) and GLAMOS. The 2026 ice loss of 5.5% for Swiss glaciers is the second-highest annual loss recorded, following the 6% loss in 2022, which was exacerbated by a combination of low winter snow and extreme summer heatwaves.

"There we still can make a big difference with protecting the climate. If these ice masses can be saved or stabilised, we can limit the rise of global sea levels… which could affect billions of people living along the coast." "It's really just disastrous."