Turtmanngletscher zentral
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.
Turtmanngletscher zentral is the 18th-largest glacier in Switzerland, covering 10.71 km² in the canton of Valais. Its ice spans 2,306 to 4,150 m and faces north-west. Its meltwater drains to the Rhône and on to the Mediterranean. In 1850 it was part of a larger ice body of 15.1 km², which has since split into 6 glaciers covering 11.4 km² in 2016 (−25%). Its tongue has been measured 124 times since 1885. In total it has retreated 3,027 m, about 21.9 m a year. Between 1931 and 2023 its surface dropped by 32 m on average. With strong climate protection (SSP1-2.6), about 22% of its 2020 ice would remain in 2100. With very high emissions (SSP5-8.5) it would be gone around 2081. Its meltwater peaked around 2023.
In pictures
What remains in 2100
Meltwater
Million m³ of water per year, 11-year mean
The record
Length change since 1885
Position of the glacier tongue, measured in the field almost every year. Hover for each measurement.
Thinning since 1931
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
- B60-09
- Canton
- Valais
- River
- Rhône → Mediterranean
- Basin
- Anniviers & Turtmann
- Location
- 46.1200° N, 7.7020° E · swisstopo map
- Elevation
- 2,306–4,150 m, median 3,245 m
- Slope, aspect
- 18°, north-west
- Debris cover
- 0.89 km² (8% of the area)
- Inventory image
- 2016
- Ice volume (model)
- ≈ 0.661 km³ in 2020 (OGGM)
- RGI ids
- RGI60-11.02490, RGI60-11.02507, RGI60-11.02522
- In 1850 joined with
- Chanzilti, Stierbärg, Unnamed glacier B60-24, Turtmanngletscher S 1, Turtmanngletscher S2
More in the Anniviers & Turtmann basin
- Glacier de Zinal13.45 km²
- Glacier de Moming zentral5.43 km²
- Glacier de Moiry zentral5.00 km²
- Glacier du Weisshorn N1.70 km²
- Glacier du Weisshorn S1.28 km²
- Diablons Gletscher0.40 km²
- Unnamed glacier B60-240.27 km²
- Turtmanngletscher NW0.26 km²
- Stierbärg0.24 km²
- Pipjigletscher W0.23 km²
- Grand Cornier E0.15 km²
- Grand Cornier NE0.15 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.