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Date & time
01 September 2025
18:00–19:00
Venue
ETH-Bibliothek
Glaciers are melting – and have been for a long time. Scientists have studied this ancient ice and followed its transformation for more than 150 years. Join the ETH Library and ETH’s glaciologists on a fascinating journey through the history of this field of research – from daring Alpine expeditions and early theories of the Ice Age to today’s high-tech monitoring tools and urgent questions about the future.
Since the beginning of industrialisation, glaciers in the Swiss Alps have lost around a third of their surface area and half of their mass. This knowledge is based on systematic glacier measurements – a field of research in which ETH Zurich has played a decisive role since its foundation in 1855. Measurement data make the changes visible and allow them to be modelled. Researchers warn that Swiss glaciers could disappear by the end of this century. The melting ice is already having visible consequences. The water balance is changing. Natural hazards in the Alps are increasing. At the same time, new alpine landscapes with lakes are emerging in the glacier forefields. Should these areas be protected or used for economic purposes?
The tour is conducted in German and registration is required.