Global glacier retreat has accelerated

Rapid glacier melt: A roaring meltwater stream connects the Morteratsch and Pers Glaciers (r. Engadine, Switzerland. A few years ago, the glaciers were connected by ice. (Photograph: P. Rüegg / ETH Zurich) - An international research team including scientists from ETH Zurich has shown that almost all the world's glaciers are becoming thinner and losing mass' and that these changes are picking up pace. The team's analysis is the most comprehensive and accurate of its kind to date. Glaciers are a sensitive indicator of climate change - and one that can be easily observed. Regardless of altitude or latitude, glaciers have been melting at a high rate since the mid-20th century.