Glacier melt 'alarming'

The glaciers are losing water at an alarming rate as the heatwave drags on.

According to the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network, roughly 400 cubic metres of water are flowing off the ice every second. 

That's enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool every six seconds, day and night. 

Network head Matthias Huss calls prolonged heatwaves the "worst-case scenario" for glaciers, with this June's two-week stretch exceptional even by recent standards. 

Switzerland is warming twice as fast as the global average — more than 1,100 of its glaciers have already disappeared since the early 1970s.

More from Bitesize News

  • Politician on trial accused of rape and drug assault

    Aargau prosecutors are asking for a life sentence for a former Swiss People’s Party cantonal MP accused of drugging and raping several women and a girl over a period of years.

  • Swiss People's Party says EU treaty helps crime

    Switzerland's largest party is warning that the country's new treaty package with the European Union would let criminals cross the border freely, a claim legal experts call vastly exaggerated.

  • Waterways dry

    Switzerland's dams are less than half full, the lowest level in two decades, after weeks of heat and no rain have drained rivers and lakes across the country.

  • Jim's British Market changes hands

    Audio

    Jim's British Market has been serving the international community in the region for more than 30 years - and now Jim Anderson has sold the business.

  • Storms possible at end of week

    The heatwave is taking a break this week, with MeteoSwiss forecasting cooler and more stable air across the country and no thunderstorm risk until Friday.

  • Penthouse flats lose appeal

    The most sought-after apartments, top-floor attic flats with big windows and lake views, are starting to lose their appeal as summers grow hotter.

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play