Swiss glaciers shrinking

SWITZERLAND’S glaciers are melting faster than previously thought, losing almost a fifth of their total area between 1985 and 2000, experts said yesterday.

“In the Alps, this is an ongoing process that is much more pronounced than expected,” said Zurich University’s geography department.

The area covered by glaciers in Switzerland has shrunk so much that it is already at levels which had previously been projected for 2025, according to Frank Paul, who compiled data by examining satellite images going back almost 20 years.