The Swansong of the Glaciers
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26.06.2026<br>| Stephanie Kusma
WSL News
From 29 June onwards, Switzerland’s glaciers will have exhausted their snow reserves. Every litre of meltwater now causes them to lose mass – this is Glacier Loss Day. Between the extreme years of 2003 and 2022 alone, 200 square kilometres of ice – an area almost as large as the canton of Zug – have disappeared. This is reflected in the volume of meltwater, as analyses by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) show: although ice loss was more severe in the summer of 2022 than in 2003, less water flowed off the glaciers.
29 June marks Glacier Loss Day, the day from which onwards the glaciers lose ice volume with every litre of meltwater.<br>The pattern of glacier melt so far this year is similar to that in 2022 – the worst ever recorded in Switzerland.<br>The loss of glacier area is already impacting the volume of water flowing from the glaciers during extreme years.
Ice loss at Konkordiaplatz, Great Aletsch Glacier (VS), between 2022 and 2025 compared with the<br>average measurements between 1953 and 1983. (Photo: M. Huss)
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Ice loss at Konkordiaplatz, Great Aletsch Glacier (VS), between 2022 and 2025 compared with the<br>average measurements between 1953 and 1983. (Photo: M. Huss)
It has not been a good start of the year for Switzerland’s glaciers, and things are getting even worse. In April, their snow cover was at record lows in some places or, at best, average for a few individual glaciers. In March, Saharan dust blew into Switzerland, and the country is currently sweltering under a heatwave. The result: the ice is melting at an extreme rate, and 29 June is already ‘Glacier Loss Day’ – the day from which all further melting begins to erode the glacier’s mass. Any remaining snow on the glacier that could ‘feed’ it has already been offset by melting in the lower-lying areas, and every hot day directly reduces the ice volume.
Trends in glacier mass balance over recent years. Glaciers are currently melting at twice the average rate observed between 2010 and 2020 (blue dotted line ). The record figures for the end of June from 2022 have almost been reached. Chart dated 26 June 2026. (Chart: GLAMOS)
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Trends in glacier mass balance over recent years. Glaciers are currently melting at twice the average rate observed between 2010 and 2020 (blue dotted line ). The record figures for the end of June from 2022 have almost been reached. Chart dated 26 June 2026. (Chart: GLAMOS)
In 2022, this day arrived a few days earlier, on 26 June. There had also been little snowfall in winter back then, and with three heatwaves, that year was the warmest in Switzerland (so far) since records began in 1864. Only during the heatwave of 2003 were summer temperatures higher. The glaciers melted more rapidly in 2022 than ever before, losing around six per cent of their mass over the course of the year. During the current heatwave, it seems as though 2026 is hot on its heels (see graph).
The Claridenfirn (GL) was completely free of snow in September 2025. (Photo: M. Huss)
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The Claridenfirn (GL) was completely free of snow in September 2025. (Photo: M. Huss)
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Glaciologists on the Great Aletsch Glacier (VS). This year, snow from the winter remained in the upper part of the glacier. However, the shaded tongue has once again melted significantly. (Photo: R. Moser)
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Glaciologists on the Great Aletsch Glacier (VS). This year, snow from the winter remained in the upper part of the glacier. However, the shaded tongue has once again melted significantly. (Photo: R. Moser)
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The ice cave at the Vadret da Morteratsch (GR) is enormous, but unstable due to collapsing ice blocks. (Photo: L. Hösli)
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The ice cave at the Vadret da Morteratsch (GR) is enormous, but unstable due to collapsing ice blocks. (Photo: L. Hösli)
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Drilling of a stake to determine the mass balance on the Glatscher da Medel (GR). (Photo: L. Hösli)
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Drilling of a stake to determine the mass balance on the Glatscher da Medel (GR). (Photo: L. Hösli)
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Installation of a stake to determine the mass balance in the upper part of the Glatscher da Medel (GR). (Photo: L. Hösli)
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Installation of a stake to determine the mass balance in the upper part of the...