Swiss glaciers are losing their protective snow at an alarming rate due to the European heatwave. Researchers say that on June 29, the Rhone Glacier in southern Switzerland reached “Glacier Loss Day” — the moment when snow accumulated over winter has melted away and glaciers begin shedding the ice below.
Heatwaves and Scant Snowfall Batter Glaciers
This year, two heatwaves that followed low winter snowfall helped accelerate “Glacier Loss Day” to its second-earliest date on record. During June’s heatwave, the melting water from glaciers across Switzerland could have filled an Olympic-sized swimming pool every six seconds for two weeks, according to Matthias Huss, director of Glacier Monitoring Switzerland.
Huss said one monitoring site at the Rhone Glacier recorded a loss of about 1.5 meters (5 feet) of ice during two weeks of extreme heat. Tourists visiting the glacier retreats said changes were impossible to ignore, with one German tourist becoming emotional at the sight of the shrinking glacier.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
