Western Austria glaciers face near‑complete loss by 2100 under 1.5 °C warming

Observations between 2006 and 2017 show that glaciers in Austria’s Ötztal and Stubai ranges lost about 19 % of their area and 23 % of their volume, with five glaciers disappearing entirely.

Using the enhanced Open Global Glacier Model, researchers project that under a +1.5 °C warming scenario only 2.7 % of the 2017 glacier volume will remain by 2100, while a +2 °C scenario would leave just 0.4 % by the same year. Current warming trajectories (+2.7 °C) could drive near‑complete deglaciation before 2075. Over 100 glaciers—roughly one‑third of the regional total—could vanish by 2030 even under the +1.5 °C pathway. The largest glacier, Gepatschferner, is expected to retain only 5.4 % of its 2017 volume at +1.5 °C and 0.4 % at +2 °C.