Study: Heat wave led to unprecedented melt of Swiss glaciers

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — An academic study says Switzerland’s glaciers are melting like never before. The Swiss Academy of Sciences reported on Wednesday that the ice volume of the country’s glaciers declined 6% so far this year, topping a record retreat from nearly a generation ago. The report cited a dearth of winter snow and a summer heat wave that swept across Europe. The head of Switzerland’s glacier-monitoring program says there’s “zero chance” the glaciers will return for decades given current global temperature projections. The findings come on top of another study released last month showing that Switzerland’s 1,400 glaciers have lost more than half their total volume since the early 1930s.