Breithorngletscher (Zermatt)
Past extents come from the Swiss Glacier Inventories of 1850, 1931, 1973 and 2016. Future extents are illustrative: each glacier’s projected area (OGGM, median of CMIP6 climate models) is removed from its lowest ice upward. About the scenarios. This glacier has no model run of its own; its future follows the typical path of glaciers its size.
Breithorngletscher (Zermatt) is the 84th-largest glacier in Switzerland, covering 1.95 km² in the canton of Valais. Its ice spans 2,500 to 4,095 m and faces north. Its meltwater drains to the Rhône and on to the Mediterranean. In 1850 it was part of a larger ice body of 65.5 km², which has since split into 4 glaciers covering 54.1 km² in 2016 (−17%). Between 2015 and 2023 its surface dropped by 9 m on average. No glacier model run exists for it; on the map it follows the typical path of glaciers its size.
The record
Thinning since 2015
Average change in surface height, from comparing elevation models made from maps, aerial images and laser scans.
Facts
Area over time
Past areas are the ice body this glacier belonged to at the time. Projections: OGGM median, SSP2-4.5.
- SGI id
- B56-26
- Canton
- Valais
- River
- Rhône → Mediterranean
- Basin
- Vispa
- Location
- 45.9500° N, 7.7620° E · swisstopo map
- Elevation
- 2,500–4,095 m, median 3,232 m
- Slope, aspect
- 29°, north
- Debris cover
- 0.05 km² (3% of the area)
- Inventory image
- 2015
- In 1850 joined with
- Gornergletscher, Monte Rosagletscher, Unterer Theodulgletscher
More in the Vispa basin
- Gornergletscher41.23 km²
- Zmuttgletscher14.82 km²
- Findelgletscher13.86 km²
- Feegletscher zentral13.82 km²
- Unterer Theodulgletscher9.63 km²
- Allalingletscher9.09 km²
- Riedgletscher7.23 km²
- Schwarzberggletscher zentral5.14 km²
- Hohlichtgletscher4.54 km²
- Bisgletscher4.18 km²
- Furgggletscher3.82 km²
- Mellichgletscher N3.08 km²
Sources
- Linsbauer et al. (2021). The new Swiss Glacier Inventory SGI2016. Frontiers in Earth Science 9. doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.704189
- Mannerfelt et al. (2022). Halving of Swiss glacier volume since 1931 observed from terrestrial image photogrammetry. The Cryosphere 16. doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3249-2022
- GLAMOS – Glacier Monitoring Switzerland. www.glamos.ch
Relief: swisstopo swissALTIRegio. 1850 and 1973 outlines: Maisch et al. (2000), Müller et al. (1976), Paul (2004). Length, mass balance and volume change: GLAMOS releases 2025. All sources and methods.