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05 January 2026
Melting Glaciers in the Alps are Vanishing Faster Than Predicted
There are currently between 200,000 and 275,000 glaciers worldwide. While the number is impressive, it is set to decrease at a terrifying pace, according to the latest research by an international team of scientists from Switzerland, Austria, and beyond.
Global warming is causing glaciers to disappear faster with each passing year. Researchers decided to investigate when this process will enter its most dramatic phase. Their findings are far from optimistic.
A Critical Date Worries Scientists
According to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, experts calculate that with 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, the tipping point for melting glaciers in the Alps will occur in 2041. In that single year, many of the smallest glaciers will disappear from the map. This is only the beginning—at higher temperatures, the scale of loss will be even greater.
Glacier fact:
Glaciers are the largest freshwater reservoir on Earth, storing about 70 percent of the planet’s total freshwater resources.
Glaciers are the largest freshwater reservoir on Earth, storing about 70 percent of the planet’s total freshwater resources.
The Alps Are Losing Ice Faster Than Other Regions
With 4 degrees Celsius of warming, the peak of loss will occur in 2055. The process will consume larger glaciers, with losses estimated at around 4,000 per year globally. However, the impact of melting glaciers in the Alps will be particularly severe.
Scientists predict that by 2100, only 110 glaciers will remain in Central Europe—about 3% of their current surface area. In a 4-degree warming scenario, the situation becomes even more dire: only 20 glaciers would survive, and medium-sized ones, including the Rhone Glacier, would vanish. Furthermore, the Aletsch Glacier—the largest in the range—is expected to break into smaller fragments.
Glacier fact:
The blue color of glaciers comes from extremely compressed ice, which absorbs most wavelengths of light and reflects mainly blue. This ice forms under years of pressure from accumulated snow layers.
The blue color of glaciers comes from extremely compressed ice, which absorbs most wavelengths of light and reflects mainly blue. This ice forms under years of pressure from accumulated snow layers.
Climate Change Reaches Every Corner
This crisis is not limited to the Alps. Glaciers in the Caucasus and regions with smaller ice masses—especially those near the equator or at lower altitudes—are also at risk. Changes will impact the Andes, African mountains, and the Rockies.
As Dr. Lander Van Tricht from Vrije Universiteit Brussel emphasizes, more than half of the glaciers in these regions could disappear within the next 10 to 20 years. Worse still, there is not a single glacier in the world today that is not feeling the effects of global warming. These changes are even reaching the Karakoram range.
Why This Affects Everyone
The extinction of glaciers could lead to:
- Rising sea levels and flooding of coastlines and islands.
- Intensified extreme weather events (hurricanes, droughts).
- Loss of animal habitats (e.g., polar bears) and plant life.
- Disruptions in access to drinking water.
- Destabilization of ocean currents.
- Risk of releasing ancient pathogens trapped in the ice.
All of this could cause immense economic losses, leading to mass migrations and conflicts over resources. It will also hit local economies and the tourism industry.
While the melting process may be impossible to stop entirely, the results of this research can help local governments, public institutions, and the tourism sector prepare for the inevitable climate changes ahead.
Read this article in Polish: Alpy tracą lodowce. Za kilka dekad mogą zniknąć
