00:00Switzerland's glaciers lost more than 5% of their ice in 2026 alone.
00:04That means nearly one-fifth of the country's glacier volume has vanished in just five years.
00:10Researchers with the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network tracked this record melt after a winter with unusually little snow.
00:17The lack of snow left glaciers exposed to months of hot, dry weather.
00:21Average glacier thickness fell by 2.5 to 4 meters, while some glacier tongues lost as much as 10 meters.
00:28Major glaciers like the Rhone, Alec, and Claridan saw their greatest melt on record.
00:34Several smaller glaciers disappeared completely, including Bellatola and Greasefern.
00:39For 76 days, summer heatwaves pushed freezing levels above 4,000 meters, a Swiss record.
00:45Meltwater released from glaciers temporarily eased water shortages, but comes from ice that won't return soon.
00:52This shrinking ice reserve leaves less glacier ice to melt in future summers.
00:56Disclosure
00:57This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced, using AI-assisted tools.
