Despite heavy snow, glaciers still retreat

Thursday, 3 October 2024 06:30

Basodino Glacier

There were hopes that the plentiful snow at the beginning of the year would help rebuild the glaciers.

A glaciologist from ETH Zurich, Matthias Huss, says there hadn’t been as much snow in the spring since the 1970s.

But the optimism has gone.

The latest figures show all the spring snow has melted and the ice loss is more than what was formed in the winter.

Glaciers are set to lose 2.5% of their mass this year. The effect of the Sahara sands has only quickened the melt.

July and August were very warm this summer, even on the higher ground. A new warm weather record was set at the top of the Jungfrau.

The experts also believe the arrival of dust from the Sahara Desert as it darkened the snow and added to the melting effect.

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