Rhonegletscher
Rhône Glacier
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.
The source of the Rhône and one of the longest-observed glaciers in the world, with length measurements since 1879. Part of the glacier near the ice grotto is covered with white fleece in summer to slow melting locally. It cannot prevent the retreat of the tongue. 2026 was its most negative year ever measured, worse even than 2022.
Rhonegletscher is the 9th-largest glacier in Switzerland, covering 14.64 km² in the canton of Valais. Its ice spans 2,209 to 3,621 m and faces south-west. Its meltwater drains to the Rhône and on to the Mediterranean. In 1850 it was part of a larger ice body of 20.0 km², which has since split into 3 glaciers covering 15.6 km² in 2016 (−22%). Its tongue has been measured 143 times since 1879. In total it has retreated 1,845 m, about 12.7 m a year. Its mass balance has been measured since 1885: on average −0.25 m of water equivalent per year, with the most negative year in 2022 (−2.42 m). Between 1874 and 2023 its surface dropped by 49 m on average. With strong climate protection (SSP1-2.6), about 14% of its 2020 ice would remain in 2100. With very high emissions (SSP5-8.5) it would be gone around 2080. Its meltwater peaked around 2023.
Then and now
What remains in 2100
Meltwater
Million m³ of water per year, 11-year mean
The record
Length change since 1879
Position of the glacier tongue, measured in the field almost every year. Hover for each measurement.
Mass balance 1885–2025
Ice gained (blue) or lost (red) over the whole glacier each year, in metres of water equivalent. Measured with stakes drilled into the ice.
Thinning since 1874
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
- B43-03
- Canton
- Valais
- River
- Rhône → Mediterranean
- Basin
- Goms
- Location
- 46.6374° N, 8.4017° E · swisstopo map
- Elevation
- 2,209–3,621 m, median 2,960 m
- Slope, aspect
- 15°, south-west
- Debris cover
- 0.41 km² (3% of the area)
- Inventory image
- 2016
- Ice volume (model)
- ≈ 1.24 km³ in 2020 (OGGM)
- RGI ids
- RGI60-11.01238, RGI60-11.01244, RGI60-11.01299, RGI60-11.01324
- In 1850 joined with
- Galengrat N, Unnamed glacier B43-12
More in the Goms basin
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/
- Huss, Linsbauer & Naegeli (2025). Swiss Glaciers. State, projections and significance. Swiss Academies Factsheets 20(2). doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14866776
- GLAMOS (2026). Annual mass balance of Swiss glaciers in 2025/2026. doi.glamos.ch/pubs/annualrep/annualrep_2026.pdf
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.