The Morteratsch Glacier in Switzerland, one of the largest glaciers in the Eastern Alps, has retreated by about three kilometers over the past 150 years and continues to melt at an alarming pace, glaciologists say. Morteratsch is among Switzerland's most well-known glaciers now facing possible disappearance. Scientists have been monitoring the glacier for more than a century and a half. Along the trail leading to the glacier, signposts mark different years, recording how the glacier has receded. Visitors walking toward the glacier will pass several large ice caves, which have become popular photo spots. Glaciologists say the growing number of ice caves reflects a process in which heat stored within the glacier is increasingly released. The more such caves appear, the faster the glacier is melting and degrading. The glaciologist warned that the Morteratsch Glacier may disappear entirely well before another 150 years have passed. According to the latest data from the Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland, more than 1,000 glaciers across the country have vanished since 1970 due to global warming. After entering 2025, the total volume of Swiss glaciers has already fallen by a further 3 percent. Shotlist: Switzerland - Recent: 1. Various of snow-covered roads near Morteratsch Glacier; 2. Various of signpost showing retreat of Morteratsch Glacier; 3. Various of ice caves near Morteratsch Glacier, visitors taking pictures inside ice caves; 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Stefan Uhlenbrook, director of Hydrology, Water, Cryosphere, World Meteorological Organization: "The glaciers are super important, and they are also kind of an icon of climate change. We see them melting very rapidly, something which we observe in other elements less visually."; 5. Various of ice caves; Morteratsch Glacier. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]