Almost all of the two dozen snow-covered peaks in Switzerland are showing a decline, reported the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung.
Keystone / Martin Ruetschi
Switzerland's glacier-covered peaks have lost between one and 29 metres in altitude over the past 60 years, with almost all of the two dozen snow-covered peaks showing a decline, as reported by the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung.
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Las cumbres suizas se reducen por el calentamiento global
The primary cause is climate change. Pointe Parrot, situated in the Monte Rosa massif on the border between Valais and Italy, has experienced the most significant decline, losing 29 metres since records began in 1960.
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Southern Swiss glaciers could melt away within 10 years
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Swiss glaciers south of the Alps could disappear in five to ten years if temperatures continue to rise.
Tête-Blanche, along the border with Italy, has lost 13 metres in 63 years. Even though the old measurement methods were comparatively unreliable, the differences become more pronounced when compared with measurements from the early 20th century.
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For Swiss glaciers, 2022 was a ‘disastrous’ year
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Swiss glaciers have lost more than 6% of their volume this year. The decline smashed previous record retreats, but it was not entirely negative.
Switzerland currently boasts 48 peaks over 4,000 metres, some of which are at risk of losing this symbolic status in the coming years. The Weissmies, for instance, decreased from 4,023 metres in the 1960s to 4,013 metres in the last measurement.
Only the Mönch has gained altitude (11 metres). “Storms and heavy precipitation always pile up snow on the peaks of the Bernese Oberland,” explains the warden of the Mönchsjoch hut.
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