Record melting sees Swiss glaciers shrink 10% in five years

16 Oct 2019

Record melting sees Swiss glaciers shrink 10% in five years

Hey there! Let us tell you an interesting story about Swiss glacier called Pizol. Last month, the people of Switzerland were really sad because they had to say goodbye to their friend, the Pizol glacier. It was a big chunk of ice that had been getting smaller and smaller over the years. Can you believe it lost 80-90% of its volume since 2006? That's like losing most of your ice cream in just a few bites!
But wait, there's more! Some really smart scientists did research and found out that all the glaciers in Switzerland have been getting smaller too. In fact, they shrank by 10% in just the past five years. That's like your toy collection suddenly becoming 10% smaller without you even playing with them! It's something that has never happened in a hundred years of watching these icy mountains.
Melting Swiss Glaciers

Now, here's where things get even crazier. Last summer, it was really, really hot in Switzerland. The heat was so intense that the glaciers started melting like crazy. Can you imagine ice turning into water at super speed? That's exactly what happened! The Swiss Academy of Sciences measured the ice melt and they were shocked. Huge amounts of ice disappeared, like magic!
Guess what? Not only did the glaciers melt this summer, but they also melted more than ever before. They broke records, just like athletes breaking their own records in a race. The scientists measured the ice on 20 glaciers and found out that 2% of all the ice melted in just one year. That's like a whole slice of pizza disappearing from your plate without you even taking a bite!
All of this is happening because of something called climate change. It's a big problem that people all around the world are worried about. The situation in the Swiss is just a small part of it. Can you imagine how big this problem must be if even glaciers are shrinking? It's like the whole world needs to come together to solve this puzzle.
At first, everyone in 2019 thought it would be a great year. They had a super cold winter with lots of snow and rain. But then, summer came and it was the third hottest one ever in Europe! That's like going from wearing a cozy winter jacket to feeling like you're in an oven. The glaciers in the eastern part of Switzerland and the northern Alps suffered the most from the heat. But the southern Gotthard region managed to keep its cool.
Believe it or not, more than 500 glaciers have disappeared in Switzerland since 1900. It's like a bunch of ice cubes saying, "See ya later!" And now, in 2019, the Pizol glacier had to leave the group too. It's no longer part of the country's glacier monitoring network. It's a bit like a glacier retirement, I suppose.
So, my little friend, that's the story of the Pizol glacier and the shrinking glaciers in Switzerland. It's a serious problem, but we can also learn some funny things from it. Remember, it's important to take care of our planet so that we can keep enjoying ice cream and snowy mountains for a long, long time!

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Hey there! Let us tell you an interesting story about Swiss glacier called Pizol. Last month, the people of Switzerland were really sad because they […]

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