Mittelaletschgletscher
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.
Mittelaletschgletscher is the 31st-largest glacier in Switzerland, covering 6.61 km² in the canton of Valais. Its ice spans 2,355 to 4,085 m and faces east. Its meltwater drains to the Rhône and on to the Mediterranean. In 1850 it was part of a larger ice body of 105.6 km², which has since split into 6 glaciers covering 85.9 km² in 2016 (−19%). Its tongue has been measured 30 times since 1959. In total it has retreated 930 m, about 14.5 m a year. Between 1977 and 2023 its surface dropped by 33 m on average. With strong climate protection (SSP1-2.6), about 28% of its 2020 ice would remain in 2100. With very high emissions (SSP5-8.5) it would be gone around 2082. Its meltwater peaked around 2020.
In pictures
What remains in 2100
Meltwater
Million m³ of water per year, 11-year mean
The record
Length change since 1959
Position of the glacier tongue, measured in the field almost every year. Hover for each measurement.
Thinning since 1977
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
- B36-21
- Canton
- Valais
- River
- Rhône → Mediterranean
- Basin
- Lötschental–Aletsch
- Location
- 46.4647° N, 8.0068° E · swisstopo map
- Elevation
- 2,355–4,085 m, median 3,153 m
- Slope, aspect
- 24°, east
- Debris cover
- 1.09 km² (16% of the area)
- Inventory image
- 2017
- Ice volume (model)
- ≈ 0.241 km³ in 2020 (OGGM)
- RGI ids
- RGI60-11.01797
- In 1850 joined with
- Kleines Dreieckhorn E, Kleines Dreieckhorn NE, Grosser Aletschgletscher, Grünhörnli, Unnamed glacier B36-58
More in the Lötschental–Aletsch basin
- Grosser Aletschgletscher78.49 km²
- Oberaletschgletscher17.05 km²
- Langgletscher8.01 km²
- Tellingletscher5.13 km²
- Üssre Baltschiedergletscher3.56 km²
- Driestgletscher1.80 km²
- Innre Baltschiedergletscher1.68 km²
- Jegigletscher NE1.33 km²
- Joligletscher0.86 km²
- Zenbächengletscher0.82 km²
- Dischliggletscher0.64 km²
- Unnamed glacier B36-590.64 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
- Zekollari et al. (2024). Twenty-first century global glacier evolution under CMIP6 scenarios and the role of glacier-specific observations. The Cryosphere 18 (OGGM v1.6 projections). tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/5045/2024/
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.