Unteraargletscher
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.
Unteraargletscher is the 4th-largest glacier in Switzerland, covering 22.70 km² in the canton of Bern. Its ice spans 1,931 to 4,017 m and faces east. Its meltwater drains to the Rhine and on to the North Sea. In 1850 it was part of a larger ice body of 33.4 km², which has since split into 5 glaciers covering 24.2 km² in 2016 (−27%). Its tongue has been measured 125 times since 1871. In total it has retreated 3,006 m, about 19.6 m a year. Between 1927 and 2023 its surface dropped by 84 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 2088. 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 1871
Position of the glacier tongue, measured in the field almost every year. Hover for each measurement.
Thinning since 1927
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
- A54g-11
- Canton
- Bern
- River
- Rhine → North Sea
- Basin
- Upper Aare
- Location
- 46.5690° N, 8.1870° E · swisstopo map
- Elevation
- 1,931–4,017 m, median 2,649 m
- Slope, aspect
- 18°, east
- Debris cover
- 7.21 km² (32% of the area)
- Inventory image
- 2016
- Ice volume (model)
- ≈ 1.90 km³ in 2020 (OGGM)
- RGI ids
- RGI60-11.01328, RGI60-11.01381, RGI60-11.01384, RGI60-11.01385, RGI60-11.01390, RGI60-11.01455 …
- In 1850 joined with
- Tierberggletscher (Guttannen), Kl. Lauteraarhorn SW, Östl. Ankebälliluecke W, Lauteraargletscher
More in the Upper Aare basin
- Triftgletscher14.56 km²
- Gauligletscher10.83 km²
- Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher9.17 km²
- Oberer Grindelwaldgletscher8.33 km²
- Obers Ischmeer E7.34 km²
- Steigletscher5.56 km²
- Rosenlouwigletscher5.39 km²
- Tschingelfirn S (Kandersteg)5.05 km²
- Oberaargletscher3.95 km²
- Rottalgletscher (Lauterbrunnen)3.62 km²
- Breithorngletscher (Lauterbrunnen)2.53 km²
- Hengsterengletscher NE1.71 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.