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Permafrost in Switzerland continues to thaw

The permafrost in Switzerland has thawed further
The permafrost in Switzerland has thawed further Keystone-SDA

Permafrost is thawing faster and faster in the Swiss Alps. What’s more, its temperature has never been higher than in the 2024 hydrological year, according to the latest data from the Permos Swiss permafrost observation network.

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The changes observed in the permafrost have had an impact on the stability of mountain slopes that are frozen all year round, the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences (SCNAT) said on Tuesday.

Permos has been measuring permafrost for 25 years. Overall, the permafrost ground ice content has decreased significantly since 2000, it says.

+ How climate change is threatening permafrost’s delicate balance

Over the past ten years, permafrost temperatures at a depth of ten metres have risen by an average of 0.8°C at the 23 Permos drilling sites.

Permafrost is ground that remains permanently frozen for at least two consecutive years.

Translated from French by DeepL/ts

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