"The Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS) is reporting an average snow deficit of 25%, compared to averages from 2010-2020, partly due to a warm and dry month of April this season. Specifically, the regions of Upper Valais, Ticino, and Graubünden are seeing a drastic deficit heading into the summer melt months. Consequently, the protective snow layer is depleting so rapidly, it could be a matter of just weeks before debris and bare ice are exposed, leading to an inevitable accelerated glacier melt and retreat."
"A snow deficit signifies that the amount of snow which accumulated on the glacier during the winter will not be enough to sustain the glacial mass through the summer melt season. More snow coverage going into the warmer months implies there is potential for glacial accumulation, or growth. On the other hand, a 25% deficit this season - or 75% of average snow cover - unfortunately will likely result in a negative mass balance, or retreating."
"When the snow is melted away quickly, debris and darker ice on the glacier are exposed, reducing the albedo effect. Because of this, the glacier's surface can absorb more sunlight and therefore it gets warmer, faster, causing melting to speed-up significantly."
""The outlook for this summer is bad," glaciologist Matthias Huss told the Keystone‑SDA news agency. In the last two decades, just four winters recorded less snow than this winter. Of those, 2022 and 2023 had similar snow deficits as this winter, and substantial glacier loss occurred over both of those summers. That is not a good sign of what could happen this year."
Swiss glaciers are entering the melt season with a large snow deficit. The Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network reports an average 25% deficit compared with 2010–2020 averages, linked partly to a warm and dry April. Upper Valais, Ticino, and Graubünden show especially drastic deficits heading into summer. A snow deficit means winter snow accumulation is insufficient to sustain the glacier through summer melt, leading to negative mass balance and retreat. Rapid snow loss exposes darker debris and ice, reducing albedo and increasing absorption of sunlight, which speeds melting. The outlook for the summer is described as bad, with only four winters in the last two decades recording less snow, and similar deficits in 2022 and 2023 followed by substantial glacier loss. Ski areas on Swiss glaciers may be affected by the reduced snow cover.
Read at SnowBrains
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