Little snowfall and early heatwaves are spelling bad news for Switzerland's shrinking glaciers, Swiss experts have warned.
Glacier Loss Day - the day when Switzerland's glaciers are calculated to have exhausted their snow reserves - falls on June 29 this year.
This means the amount of ice the top of the glaciers gained from fresh winter snow has melted away at the bottom - from now on, they are drawing on their reserves, glaciologists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) told dpa.
"It is already clear that the glaciers are once again losing massive amounts of ice," expert Matthias Huss said. "We won't know exactly how much until the measurements are complete."
Only once, in 2022, did Glacier Loss Day occur even earlier, namely on June 26. At that time, a record 6% of the mass was lost across Switzerland within a single year. The final figures for 2026 are expected in early October.
Glaciologists determine the 'glacier loss day' using measurements taken directly on the glaciers and a computational model that calculates snowfall and melt rates on a daily basis. Weather data, satellite images and webcam footage are also taken into account.
The ETH reported that meltwater from glaciers does help to cushion falling water levels and rising water temperatures in rivers. However, this only applies as long as there is still sufficient glacier area.
At the severely shrunken Rhône Glacier in the canton of Valais, conservationists recently held a demonstration with a banner calling for better protection of the glacier.
They presented the cantonal government with a petition calling for measures including the removal of an ice grotto for tourists and the removal of white mats which help to preserve a small area of ice for tourists, but which they deem an environmental risk.