Abstract
To improve our knowledge of glacier area changes in the central Chilean and Argentinean Andes (32°9'S-33°4'S), two new glacier inventories from 1989 to 2013/14 are compared with a reinterpreted inventory from 1955. Comparisons show glacier area retreat of 30 ± 3% since 1955, decreasing from 134 to 94 km2 in 2013/14, whilst the annual rate of area loss showed a small increase (insignificant) between the periods of 1955-1989 and 1989-2013/14. Separate analysis of the 1989 and 2013/14 inventories, including a larger sample, revealed a higher rate of glacier change compared with the smaller samples of these inventories. Additionally, an analysis at ∼5 year intervals for six major glaciers (1955-2013) indicates large variability in response times and area loss magnitudes. Glacier Olivares Alfa, for example, lost 63% of its ice area, while the Juncal Norte Glacier lost only 10% (1955-2013). The findings from this study improve our current knowledge base concerning widespread glacier decline in the southern Andes, and furthers monitoring efforts in this poorly described region of the world, a region containing vital water resources for populated areas in South America.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 391-401 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Glaciology |
Volume | 62 |
Issue number | 232 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 26 Apr 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |