The permafrost in Switzerland has continued to thaw in many places
Published: Thursday, Jun 6th 2024, 10:00
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The permafrost in the Swiss Alps has continued to thaw in many places. At most locations at a depth of 10 to 20 meters, temperatures in 2023 were slightly warmer than in the previous year, according to measurements by the Swiss permafrost monitoring network Permos.
However, slightly lower permafrost temperatures were also measured at some locations, as reported by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) on Thursday.
The hydrological year 2023, which lasted from October 2022 to September 2023, was the warmest since measurements began in 1864. According to the SCNAT, however, the fact that little snow fell during this period had a positive effect on the permafrost. This meant that there was no insulating snow cover in winter, which allowed the ground surface to cool down. The ice content in the soil therefore increased or decreased slightly compared to the previous year, depending on the location.
Powerful thawing layer
As the measurements also showed, the thawed uppermost layers of permafrost in the summer of 2023 were similar in thickness at most locations to the record year of 2022. At the Schilthorn in the Bernese Alps, the thawed layer was over 13 meters thick in 2023, around three times as thick as 20 years ago.
Permos has been documenting the condition of and changes to permafrost in the Swiss Alps since 2000. Permafrost is permanently frozen ground that covers around five percent of Switzerland's land area. If it thaws, the ground can lose stability, which can lead to landslides, rockfalls or debris flows, for example.
©Keystone/SDA
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