While the rapid melting of glaciers in the Swiss Alps raises a new alarm in the world, a similar picture is becoming increasingly evident in the high mountains of Türkiye. According to the latest data released by the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network, the country’s glaciers lost approximately 5 percent of their volume in just one year. Consecutive large losses in recent years have brought the Alpine glaciers, one of Europe’s most important freshwater reserves, to the critical brink. If in Türkiye The long-standing retreat in small glacier areas in Mount Ararat, Cilo-Sat, Kaçkarlar, Süphan, Erciyes and Taurus Mountains is noteworthy. Scientific studies reveal that Türkiye’s permanent glaciers have shrunk significantly, especially in the last half century.
GLACIERS ARE BREAKING UP FROM THE INTERNAL
Measurements made in Switzerland show that the problem is not limited to the melting of glaciers from the surface. Warming weather, decreasing snow cover and meltwater flowing under the glacier also weaken the internal structure of ice masses. As the water channels and gaps formed at the base and interior of the glacier grow, giant ice blocks break up, cracks widen and the melting process accelerates. GLAMOS data revealed that approximately 10 percent of the total volume was lost in Swiss glaciers in just two years, 2022 and 2023.u. The fact that the loss increased to 5 percent again in 2026 shows that the meltdown experienced in a few years has now exceeded the usual fluctuations.
GLACIER ALERT IN Türkiye
The picture in Türkiye is seen especially strikingly on Mount Ararat. According to comprehensive scientific research published in 2025, the bare glacier area on Greater Ararat was 9.3 square kilometers in 1977. According to satellite images, this area shrank by 47 percent in 46 years, down to 4.9 square kilometers. In other words, almost half of Ağrı’s exposed glaciers disappeared within a few decades. Researchers also point out, however, that not all of the ice on Mount Ararat is visible from the surface. In recent field work, four new “debris-covered glaciers” covered with stones and rock fragments were identified. When these areas are taken into account, the current total glacier area of Mount Ararat is calculated as 8.11 square kilometers. Although these glaciers melt more slowly than open glaciers due to their rock cover, the long-term shrinking trend does not change.
WATER TANKS OF THE MOUNTAINS ARE SHINING
The disappearance of glaciers does not only mean that the landscape on the peaks changes. Mountain glaciers act as natural reservoirs that feed streams and water systems at high altitudes by gradually releasing the water they hold in the form of snow and ice throughout the winter in the warmer months. As the ice mass shrinks, this natural water support also decreases, especially in dry and hot summers. This situation can affect a wide range of areas, from high mountain ecosystems to agricultural irrigation, from groundwater to river regimes.
