Swiss glaciers lose 5.5% of ice mass in record melt year

Swiss glaciers lost 5.5% of their ice mass in the past year, with average thickness down 2.5-4 meters and up to 10 meters at some tongues, per GLAMOS data. The melt was driven by a snow-poor winter and persistent summer heatwaves, leaving ice exposed. This marks an acceleration beyond recent trends, signaling a critical threshold for Alpine cryosphere stability.