Swiss Glaciers Had an Enormously Bad Year

Switzerland's glaciers have faced "enormous" melting this year with a 3% drop in total volume—the fourth-largest annual drop on record—due to the effects of global warming, top Swiss glaciologists reported Wednesday. The shrinkage this year means that ice mass in Switzerland, which is home to the most glaciers in Europe, has declined by one-quarter over the last decade, the Swiss glacier monitoring group GLAMOS and the Swiss Academy of Sciences said in their report. The shrinkage is the fourth-largest after those in 2022, 2023 and back in 2003. What you need to know, per the AP:

• Standout quote: "Glacial melting in Switzerland was once again enormous in 2025," the scientists said. "A winter with low snow depth combined with heat waves in June and August led to a loss of 3% of the glacier volume."
• The count: Switzerland is home to nearly 1,400 glaciers, the most of any country in Europe, and the ice mass and its gradual melting have implications for hydropower, tourism, farming, and water resources in many European countries. More than 1,000 small glaciers in Switzerland have already disappeared, the experts said.
• What transpired this year: The teams reported that a winter with little snow was followed by heat waves in June—the second-warmest June on record—which left the snow reserves depleted by early July. Ice masses began to melt earlier than ever, they said.
• Impacts: The retreat and loss of glaciers is also having an impact on Switzerland's landscape, causing mountains to shift and ground to become unstable.