Alpine glaciers melting significantly

Despite the very snowy winter of 2023-2024, the glaciers in the Alps started melting rapidly again this year.

This year, 2.4% of the volume of Swiss glaciers was lost. In the last three years, the volume loss is as much as 12.7%.

August 2024 in particular was very warm, which did the glaciers no favours, with them now shrinking rapidly.

Sahara dust, debris and stones collect on the glacier's surface and the 'dirtier' the glacier is, the higher the glacier's melt rate becomes. This is because the ice is darker and reflects much less sunlight.

The same is true for the glaciers of the French and Austrian Alps too. People are having to adapt by creating reservoirs, where water can be stored.

This is because when the glaciers are no longer there, much of the freshwater supply in the Alps will fall away.