In summer 2026 losses among the highest in recent years for glaciers

The low winter snowfall and high summer temperatures have accelerated the melting of Trentino's glaciers, resulting in particularly significant mass losses. The first estimates of the annual mass balance, drawn up on the basis of summer surveys, confirm a season of severe suffering for the Adamello-Mandrone, Careser and La Mare glaciers. For the Mandrone there is an average loss of 2.90 meters of water equivalent, while for the Careser the preliminary estimate reaches 4 metres, a value close to the historic minimum of 2022. The measurements were carried out by the Forecasting and Planning Office of the Autonomous Province of Trento, by the Sat glaciological commission and by Muse, with the collaboration of the Lombardy Glaciological Service and the University of Padua.

On the Adamello glacier, the low rainfall last winter favored lower-than-average snow accumulations. Added to this were the high summer temperatures, with the freezing point often above 4,800 metres. The Mandrone glacial tongue has retreated by approximately 265 meters in the last three years and by over 500 meters in the last decade. The calculations of the surveys highlight an average loss of 2.90 meters of water equivalent, the second most negative value of the recent series, after the 3.7 meters recorded in 2022.

The Careser glacier was also affected by the low winter snowfall. In May 2026, snow accumulation was 35% lower than the historical average, a significant anomaly, but less marked than that of 2022, when it reached 50%. On the nearby La Mare glacier, winter snow accumulation was 22% lower than the historical average, with a less pronounced anomaly than that detected on the Careser. The mass balance is therefore strongly negative, with a preliminary estimate of -2.2 meters of water equivalent.