Climate The permafrost in Switzerland has thawed further
The permafrost in the Swiss Alps is thawing faster and faster. Never before have the thawed top layers of permafrost been as thick as last year. This is shown by the latest data from the Swiss permafrost monitoring network Permos.
17.06.2025, 09:00
SDA
The observed changes in the permafrost had an impact on the stability of the year-round frozen mountain slopes, the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) announced on Tuesday.
Permos has been carrying out permafrost measurements for 25 years. According to the Academy, permafrost changes in the Swiss Alps have accelerated during this period.
Over the last ten years, permafrost temperatures at a depth of ten meters have risen by an average of 0.8 degrees at the 23 Permos borehole sites.
The latest rise in permafrost temperatures was exacerbated by early snowfall at high elevations, which insulated the subsurface.
Overall, the ground ice content in the permafrost has decreased significantly over the last quarter of a century.
