Triglav Glacier in Slovenia has completely melted

The Triglav Glacier in Slovenia has completely disappeared following a period of extreme heat in Europe. Once covering approximately 40 hectares in the mid-19th century, the ice mass had already lost 93 percent of its surface area between 1983 and 2003, shrinking to less than one hectare.

Recent years, including three of the hottest recorded years in Europe, provided the final blow. Matija Zorn, director of the Anton Melik Geographical Institute, noted that the glacier holds a central place in Slovenian national identity and its disappearance represents the loss of a vital source of climate change data.

The melting of the Triglav Glacier is part of a broader trend across the Alps, where intense heatwaves and carbon dioxide emissions are transforming glaciers into rocky, lunar-like landscapes. Similar trends have been observed in Switzerland, where glaciologists reported the loss of nearly one-fifth of the country's ice mass over the last five years.