Water

Glaciers in the Alps are melting faster than ever – and 2022 was their worst summer yet

Summer 2022 was the worst on record for glaciers. Image: Karl Köhler/Unsplash

Neil Entwistle

Professor of River Science and Climate Resilience, University of Salford

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Satellite view of glaciers near Zermatt in July 2021.
Glaciers near Zermatt in July 2021 – a ‘normal’ year. Image: Copernicus Sentinel / European Space Agency - ESA, CC BY-NC
Satellite view of glaciers near Zermatt in July 2022.
The same glaciers in July 2022. Image: Copernicus Sentinel / European Space Agency - ESA, CC BY-NC
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Three identical shots showing the changing shape of the Gorner Glacier near Zermatt in 1920, 1972 and 2022.
Same view of the Gorner Glacier near Zermatt in 1920, 1972 and 2022. Image: Alpine Glacier Project, David Collins, Neil Entwistle
Two shots of the Gorner Glacier in 2009 and 2022, showing the change.
Left: University of Salford students on an Alpine glacier visit in 2009 looking toward the tongue of the Gorner Glacier. Right: the same view in 2022. Image: Neil Entwistle
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