Publications
The results of the measurements are regularly published in different media. Here you have access to the most important publication of all three measurement networks.
The results concerning the measurement network for glaciers and permafrost are published in the Glaciological Report every second year. Furthermore there are numerous articles in the form of new releases which can be found in the magazine “Die Alpen” (Zeitschrift des SchweizerAplen Clubs SAC).
Factsheets
Cryosphere reports
Bulletins (Glacier/Permafrost)
Glaciological Report (Glacier)
Glaciological Report (Permafrost)
Events, News
And Swiss glaciers continue to melt
Glacial melting in Switzerland was once again enormous in 2025. A winter with low snow depth combined with heat waves in June and August led to a loss of three per cent of the glacier volume. This is the fourth largest level of shrinkage since measurements began. Consequently, the ice mass reduced by one quarter in the last ten years. This was reported by GLAMOS, the glacier monitoring network in Switzerland, and the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere observation (SCC) of the Swiss Academy of Sciences.
Image: Matthias Huss
Permafrost in den Schweizer Alpen: 2024 war ein weiteres Rekordjahr
Der Permafrost in den Schweizer Alpen war noch nie so warm wie im hydrologischen Jahr 2024. Auch der Rückgang des Bodeneisgehalts und die Zunahme der Blockgletschergeschwindigkeiten setzten sich weiter fort. Diese Beobachtungen beruhen auf 25 Jahren koordinierter Messungen im Rahmen des Schweizerischen Permafrostbeobachtungsnetzes PERMOS. In diesem Zeitraum haben sich die Permafrostveränderungen in den Schweizer Alpen beschleunigt.
Image: Cécile Pellet
Preserving glaciers at over 3,000 metres through climate protection
Strengthened climate protection on a global level could preserve more than a quarter of the ice existing today in the Swiss Alps. Researchers have written about this in a new fact sheet from the Swiss Academy of Sciences that outlines the current level of knowledge concerning glacial melting in the Alps, the diverse effects of this and possible courses of action. In particular, glaciers at over 3,000 metres above sea level could be preserved in the long term. The fact sheet will be published on 21 March 2025 to mark the first "International Glacier Day". The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation.
Image: Jürgen Merz, @glacionaut
Severe melting of glaciers despite heavy snowfall at high altitudes
After the extreme circumstances encountered in 2022 and 2023, no relief is in sight for Swiss glaciers. Despite exceptionally large volumes of snow during the winter, a combination of temperatures in July and August that at times reached record levels and dust from the Sahara resulted in a loss of 2.5% of the glacier volume. This was reported by the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation of the Swiss Academy of Sciences on Tuesday.
Image: Matthias Huss
Keine Erholung für den Permafrost in der Schweiz
Nach zwei Jahren mit wenig Schnee und sehr heissen Sommern bleibt der Permafrost in der Schweiz im Herbst 2023 warm und der Eisgehalt des Bodens nahm vielerorts weiter ab. Die Blockgletscher bewegten sich zudem schnell talwärts. Dies geht aus den neuesten Messungen des Schweizer Permafrost-Messnetzes hervor.
Image: Matthias Lichtenegger