The Alps, one of the world’s largest and highest mountain ranges, stretch across eight European countries and host thousands of glaciers, including Switzerland’s Great Aletsch Glacier. However, like many glaciers in the region, Aletsch has been retreating and thinning over the past four decades. Image comparison between 1984 and 2024 reveals visible changes in its length and width, indicating a net loss of ice mass. Since 1984, Aletsch has retreated more than 1,300 meters and lost 43 meters of water equivalent. Its neighboring glaciers, such as Oberaletsch and Fiescher, have also receded, though to a lesser extent. A particularly warm summer in 2024 melted much of the previous winter’s snowfall, contributing to a 2.5% volume loss for Swiss glaciers that year.
While glaciers in other regions, such as Alaska, have lost more total ice mass, the relative loss in Central Europe has been among the highest. Between 2000 and 2023, Switzerland lost 39% of its glacial ice, a dramatic decline for an area with relatively small glaciers. The shrinking of these ice masses not only reshapes the Alpine landscape but also impacts water availability, ecosystems, and local economies. Continued monitoring by organizations like the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS) is crucial for understanding long-term trends and the broader implications of glacial melt in a warming climate.
