Glaciers around the world are slowly disappearing due to climate change. Peru is considered one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change worldwide. This is because it has lost 61% of its glaciers in just 55 years. This will have serious consequences, such as lake overflows due to excessive glacial melt and future water shortages. What will happen when Peru loses its glaciers?
Glaciers are disappearing
Peru used to have 1.035 square kilometers of glaciers spread across 16 snow-capped mountain ranges. Today, 61% of these glaciers are melting due to global warming. According to recent research by the National Institute for Research on Glaciers and Mountain EcosystemsThe glaciers that crown the Peruvian Andes are in the process of extinction. because since 1962 they have lost an annual average of 11,5 square kilometers. This is in line with the situation of glaciers in other parts of the world, such as in [China, which are threatened by global warming](https://www.meteorologiaenred.com/chinas-glaciers-are-threatened-by-global-warming.html).
This critical situation indicates that the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident and catastrophic. The study predicts the disappearance of the glaciers in the Chila mountain range , also in Arequipa, whose waters are the source of the Amazon River, and where barely 200 square meters remain, having lost 99% of the approximately 34 square kilometers of ice that existed in the mid-20th century. These data echo what is happening in other parts of the world where glaciers are disappearing due to global warming.
Glaciers most affected by climate change are those located at lower altitudes , since temperatures are higher at the surface and decrease with increasing altitude (this is the environmental temperature gradient). Glaciers at higher altitudes and of greater size are more resilient, although they will eventually disappear.
Climate change is causing glaciers to disappear worldwide, and this will lead to increasingly serious problems. For example, data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (Minagri) , through the National Water Authority (ANA) , indicates that Peru has lost 51% of its glacial surface area in the last 50 years due to the effects of climate change on these solid water reserves. This contrasts sharply with the situation in other countries, such as the United States, which could be left without glaciers by the end of the century due to similar factors.
Peruvian mountain ranges in danger
The Volcánica, Chila, La Raya, Huanzo, and Chonta mountain ranges are the most vulnerable to glacial retreat. Their ice sheets do not exceed 6 kilometers in thickness, and their disappearance is imminent, according to the National Water Authority. This will affect the future of communities that depend on glaciers. The increase in global temperatures is accelerating glacial retreat worldwide, and our snow-capped peaks are not immune to this devastating process. Projections for the future of the Andes Mountains are alarming.
The 0.75°C increase in temperature over the last hundred years, due to pollution, has already caused the disappearance of one of our mountain ranges and threatens to wipe out five more of the 19 that remain in the next 15 or 20 years. This is similar to what is happening in Antarctica , where climate change is also causing the loss of glaciers.
La Raya (between Cusco and Puno), Volcánica (between Arequipa, Tacna and Moquegua), Chila (Arequipa), Huanzo (between Ayacucho and ApurÃmac) and Chonta (between Huancavelica and Lima) are the Peruvian mountain ranges that lead the list of the most vulnerable to global warming, so their disappearance – in a highly variable climate context like the current one – becomes imminent.
Impacts of glacial retreat
The capacity Santillán refers to depends on several factors. One of them is the altitude of the peaks. It is now known that glaciers located below 5.100 meters above sea level will disappear in the coming decades. Another factor is the size of the glacier on the mountains, the density of the ice sheet covering them, as well as the rate at which the Earth's temperature is rising. Catastrophic scenarios of up to 8°C have been projected ; however, the scientific community hopes that the increases will not exceed 1.5°C. This situation is also relevant in other global contexts, such as the glaciers of Greenland, where worrying changes are being observed.
Currently, each of these five mountain ranges has no more than 5 km² of glacial surface area, and together they total no more than 11 km² of ice. But has it always been this way? How long has this retreat taken? According to records from the ANA (National Water Authority), the retreat has increased over the last 40 years. In the first glacier inventory carried out in 1970, the La Raya mountain range recorded 11.27 km² of glacial surface, Chila no less than 33.89 km² , Huanzo 36.93 km² of ice, and Chonta some 17.85 km² of ice.
Each of these mountain ranges has lost almost all of its ice mass in four decades. In percentage terms, La Raya has shrunk by 72.85% , Huanzo by 87.79% , Chonta by 92.16% , and Chila by an alarming 97.26% . These losses are a clear indication of the impact of climate change in Peru.
During the period mentioned, there has been a notable increase in the effects of climate change, with severe impacts on mountain ecosystems. Human activity, including factors such as industrialization , mining, and the unsustainable use of natural resources, contributes to this problem. The El Niño phenomenon , for its part, exacerbates climatic conditions, leading to a rise in temperatures that accelerates glacial melt.
Glaciers are ecosystems highly sensitive to climate change; in recent decades, the effects on these solid water reserves have become more evident, generating a noticeable decrease in glacial mass, the formation of new lakes, and liquid precipitation on the glacier. In the Cordillera Blanca, the average annual retreat is 19 meters . The emblematic Pastoruri Glacier (Recuay), between 1980 and 2019, retreated more than 650 meters , forming a new lake that is in contact with the glacier and continues to grow.
Thaw projections
In the last decade, the Uruashraju glacier and other formations, such as the Yanamarey glacier (Huaraz-Recuay), have shown significant retreat, averaging a loss of one kilometer between 1948 and 2019. The melting of each glacier contributes liquid water to the micro-basins. For example, the Artesonraju glacier (Huaylas), between 2018 and 2019, contributed an average of 6 million cubic meters (MCM) of water. However, the same cannot be said for other glaciers with little glacial cover, such as Yanamarey, which, in the same period, contributed only 0.30 MCM. This highlights the difference in the contribution of glaciers in Peru to the water supply.
In the Central mountain range, the reference glacier for evaluation is Chuecón (HuarochirÃ). Between 2014 and 2019 it has declined 216 meters, forming a new lagoon that maintains contact with the glacier. During the hydrological year 2018-2019, this glacier contributed more than 1MMC of liquid water. This situation is critical, considering that other glaciers are also losing mass at an alarming rate, similar to what has been recorded elsewhere, such as in the [Alps](https://www.meteorologiaenred.com/switzerland-wants-to-save-a-glacier-from-global-warming.html).
In the Vilcanota mountain range, Quisoquipina is one of two glaciers assessed by the National Water Authority. Between 2011 and 2019, it retreated 100 meters . During the 2018–2019 hydrological year, its contribution of liquid water to the micro-basin was less than 1 million cubic meters (MMC). This situation is repeated in other snow-covered mountain ranges in the country, always highlighting their particular climate and location.
At the national level, the ANA monitors the dynamics of 13 glaciers strategically located in the central and southern regions of the country. These glaciers are part of the Latin American Glacier Monitoring Network. This monitoring provides up-to-date information on solid water reserves and glacial lakes, generating data for water resource management and disaster risk assessment.
It is crucial to mention that although the loss of glaciers may seem like a natural phenomenon that occurs slowly, their melting rate has increased dramatically. According to a recent study by the INAIGEM, it is estimated that glaciers located at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters above sea level, could disappear in the next 10 years. In the long term, it is expected that within 100 years in the Making, all of the country's snow-capped mountains will become extinct. This projection is similar to warnings about [the future of glaciers in the United States](https://www.meteorologiaenred.com/united-states-could-run-out-of-glaciers-by-the-end-of-the-century.html).
Glacier retreat can also have collateral effects on the environment and society. The creation of lakes resulting from this process, although initially seemingly positive, poses a risk. These new lakes, often unstable, can overflow and cause natural disasters such as avalanches and mudslides.
Actions to mitigate thawing
Preserving the life of glaciers is everyone's responsibility. The economic and social situation of many communities depends on these water reserves. Therefore, it is essential to implement strategies that promote sustainability and prevention. Some aspects to consider include:
- Investments in infrastructure for water storage.
- Raise awareness about the importance of glaciers and water conservation.
- The construction of public policies focused on adaptation to climate change.
- International cooperation to find long-term solutions to this problem.
It is essential that both Peruvian authorities and the international community collaborate in implementing these efforts. Swiss cooperation has promoted projects such as Glaciers+ in Peru to sustainably manage water and restore ecosystems, while the Adaptation at High Altitudes project focuses on improving climate resilience and fostering knowledge about mountain ecosystems. These initiatives are similar to efforts undertaken in other parts of the world to mitigate environmental damage to glaciers.
The short film "Peru Will Be Left Without Glaciers ," part of the documentary "Effects of Climate Change in the Peruvian Andes" by SINE LIMES , documents the urgency of the situation. These kinds of initiatives are essential to raise awareness and encourage collective action in the face of this environmental crisis.
It is imperative that mitigation measures be put in place to ensure vulnerable communities can adapt and manage their water resources sustainably. Education and awareness are vital to ensure that new generations understand the importance of protecting these melancholic ecosystems.
The implications of glacier loss in Peru are profound and multidimensional. It not only affects water supply and agriculture, but also impacts biodiversity, water quality, and the stability of local ecosystems. The disappearance of glaciers represents a serious challenge not only for the communities that depend on them, but also for the ecological balance in general.