Swiss glaciers melted 2.5% despite increased snowfall
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Swiss glaciers melted 2.5% despite increased snowfall
Swiss glaciers have lost around 2.5% of their volume so far this year. The volume lost has reached 1.2 cubic kilometres, the equivalent of Lake Biel in Switzerland.
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Despite a very snowy winter 2023/2024, glaciers melted at an above-average rate. The glacier retreat continues unabated, reported the Swiss Commission for the Observation of the Cryosphere (CSC) of the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences (SCNAT) on Tuesday.
+ Read why Swiss glaciers remain under threat
After the large quantities of snow that fell at high altitudes in winter and the cool, rainy spring, scientists had long hoped for a respite for the glaciers, Matthias Huss, head of the Swiss Glaciological Survey Network (Glamos), told Keystone-ATS.
But the hot summer months gave the glaciers a hard time. In addition, dust from the Sahara, which colored the surface of the snow, accelerated melting.
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In August 2024, Swiss glaciers lost ice at an unprecedented rate since measurements began.
Translated from French by DeepL/mga
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