Slovenia's Triglav glacier vanishes after Europe's hottest summer
The last ice from Slovenia's highest peak has melted away, a symbol of accelerating Alpine glacier loss across Europe.
What to know
- Triglav glacier, a symbol of Slovenian identity revered since at least the mid-1800s when it covered 40 hectares, has completely melted away in recent months.
- Europe's three hottest years on record occurred in the last five years; the 2026 summer alone caused at least 50,000 heat deaths across Western Europe and drove rapid ice loss across the Alps.
- The glacier's decline accelerated sharply in recent years despite persisting for two decades after 2003, when it had already shrunk to less than one hectare—a reminder that even small remaining ice bodies can vanish suddenly under sustained heat.
The loss represents a stark visual confirmation of climate change impact and loss of cultural heritage.
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“This is how the end looks like. The last piece of the Triglav glacier in Slovenia, pictured on 2 October, 2026”
festal@tldr.nettime.org · Mastodon ↗
“Every year I knew that the ice was going to be less and less. But I was shocked every year [by] how much less ice was up there.”
Matija Zorn, Director, Anton Melik Geographical Institute · The Guardian ↗
Matija Zorn Director, Anton Melik Geographical InstituteMiha Pavšek Glaciologist and mountain guide
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
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Glaciologist warns public perception lags climate reality
Miha Pavšek, a glaciologist and mountain guide, states that while nature is visibly changing, people are not yet taking the transformation seriously enough.
“nature is changing in front of our eyes…”
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This is how the end looks like. The last piece of the Triglav glacier in Slovenia, pictured on 2 October, 2026 https://www. theguardian.com/environment/20 26/oct/27/slovenia-mourns-loss-glacier-highest-peak-scorching-summer
2 more of the top 3 · 4 posts in this stretch
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Dite ai negazionisti dei cambiamenti climatici che in Slovenia il ghiacciaio del Triglav nei prossimi anni non si ritirerà più: è scomparso. L'estate 2026 gli ha dato il colpo di grazia https://www. theguardian.com/environment/20 26/oct/27/slovenia-mourns-loss-glacier-highest-peak-scorching-summer
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THE GUARDIAN: Slovenia mourns loss of glacier on its highest peak after scorching summer https://www. theguardian.com/environment/20 26/oct/27/slovenia-mourns-loss-glacier-highest-peak-scorching-summer # BadNews # Klimakrise
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Matija Zorn reflects on decades of accelerating melt — The director of the Anton Melik Geographical Institute, who began measuring the glacier in 2001, describes shock at the year-to-year rate of ice loss. Between 2002 and 2003, ice depth at one measurement spot dropped from approximately 5 metres to nothing, replaced by bare rock.
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Final ice patch confirmed vanished from Triglav glacier — New photographs taken either side of October snowfall confirm no ice remains on Slovenia's Triglav glacier. The final remnant of the main body measured just a few metres by summer's end before complete disappearance.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by The Guardian, 12d ago · also Guardian Environment, Guardian
What people are saying 1 voices from 1 site · best of 4 · verbatim
- Oct 27
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Gone! # ClimateCrisis # Slovenia https://www. theguardian.com/environment/20 26/oct/27/slovenia-mourns-loss-glacier-highest-peak-scorching-summer