Thousands of glaciers will vanish each year in the coming decades, leaving only a fraction standing by the end of the century unless global warming is curbed, a study showed on Monday.

Glacier loss is projected to accelerate, with annual disappearances peaking at 2,000 to 4,000 by the mid-21st century, depending on global temperature rise. By 2100, only 9–50% of glaciers may remain, with smaller glaciers in regions like the Alps vanishing fastest. The rate of loss slows late in the century mainly because few glaciers will be left.