Cited research: Geophys. Res. Lett. doi:10.1029/2010GL042616 (2010)

As much as half of the glacial retreat documented in the Swiss Alps in recent decades could be due to natural cycles in the North Atlantic climate.

Matthias Huss at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and his co-authors combined field data with computer modelling to develop a 100-year record of glacier surface mass balance from 1908 to 2008. The team compared their records with global climate data as well as with regional climate trends relating to multidecadal oscillations in Atlantic Ocean surface temperatures.

The findings may help to sharpen predictions of the impact of future climate change on glaciers, the authors say. J.T.

Credit: S. MCDERMOTT/CORBIS