The Alps, home to the iconic Aletsch Glacier¹, are undergoing a dramatic transformation². Satellite imagery spanning four decades reveals a stark³ retreat and thinning of this once-massive ice formation.

Stretching over 1,000 kilometers and spanning eight European countries, the Alps are one of the world’s largest and highest mountain ranges. They are home to thousands of glaciers⁴, including the Great Aletsch Glacier (Grosser Aletschgletscher) in southwestern Switzerland, the largest in the range. However, like many glaciers in the Alps, Aletsch is steadily⁵ retreating and thinning.

With over 1,300 meters lost since 1984, Aletsch and its neighboring glaciers are shrinking at alarming rates. A scorching⁶ 2024 summer only worsened the crisis, stripping Swiss glaciers of 2.5% of their volume. Meanwhile, Central Europe has lost nearly 40% of its glacial ice in the past two decades.