Glaciers around the world are slowly disappearing due to climate change. Peru is considered one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change around the world. The reason for this is that in just 55 years, 61% of all its glaciers. This will have serious consequences such as lagoon overflows due to excessive glacial melt and a future water shortage. 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 outlook indicates that the effects of climate change are becoming more evident and more catastrophic. The study predicts the disappearance of the glaciers in the Chila mountain range, also in Arequipa, whose waters are those that give rise to the Amazon River at its furthest point, and where barely 200 square meters remain, as 99% of the nearly 34 square kilometers of ice that existed in the middle of the XNUMXth century had been lost. These data resonate with what is happening in other parts of the world where situations of glacier meltdown due to global warming.
The glaciers that are most affected by climate change are those that are located at a lower height, since temperatures are higher on the surface and they decrease as the height increases (this is the environmental thermal gradient). Glaciers that are higher and larger are more resistant, although they will soon disappear.
Climate change is causing glaciers to disappear around the world, 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), indicate 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 with the situation in other countries, such as the United States, which could lose its glaciers by the end of the century due to similar factors.
Peruvian mountain ranges in danger
The mountain ranges Volcanic, Chila, La Raya, Huanzo and Chonta They are the most vulnerable to glacial retreat. Their ice sheets do not exceed 6 kilometers and their extinction is imminent, according to the National Water Authority. This will affect the future of towns that depend on glaciers. The increase in the planet's temperature is accelerating the retreat of glaciers around the world, and our snow-capped peaks are no exception to this devastating process. Projections about the future of the Andes mountains are worrying.
the rise of 0.75°C In the last hundred years, pollution has caused the disappearance of one of our mountain ranges and threatens to extinguish five more of the 19 we have left in the next 15 or 20 years. This is similar to what is happening in the 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 Apurímac) 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. Today we know that the glaciers located below the peaks 5.100 masl will disappear in the coming decades. Other factors include the size of the glaciers on the mountains, the density of the ice sheet covering them, and the rate at which the Earth's temperature is rising. Catastrophic scenarios have been projected for up to 8°C; however, the scientific community expects that the rates will not exceed 1.5 ° C. This situation is also relevant in other global contexts, such as the Greenland glaciers, where disturbing changes are being observed.
Currently, each of these five mountain ranges does not exceed 5 km2 of glacial surface and together they do not add up to more than 11 km2 white-capped glaciers. But was it always like this? How long did this retreat last? According to ANA records, the retreat has increased over the last 40 years. In the first glacier inventory conducted 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 white expanse.
Each of these chains has lost almost all of its ice mass in four decades. In percentage terms, the Range has shrunk by 72.85%, Huanzo a 87.79%, Chonta a 92.16% and Chila an alarming 97.26%These setbacks 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 contribute to this problem. El Niño phenomenon, for its part, exacerbates climatic conditions, leading to an increase in temperatures that accelerate thawing.
Glaciers are ecosystems highly sensitive to climate change. In recent decades, the effects on these solid water reserves have become more evident, generating a significant decrease in glacial mass, the formation of new lagoons, and liquid precipitation on the glacier. In the Cordillera Blanca, the average annual retreat is 19 metersThe emblematic Pastoruri glacier (Recuay), between 1980 and 2019, has retreated more than 650 meters, forming a new lagoon that has glacial contact 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 kilometer of loss between 1948 and 2019. The melting of each glacier means contributions of liquid water to the micro-basins. For example, the Artesonraju Glacier (Huaylas), between 2018 and 2019, contributed -on average- 6 million cubic meters (MMC) of water. However, the same does not occur with other glaciers that have little glacial cover, such as Yanamarey, which, in the same period, only contributed 0.30 MMC. 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 (Huarochirí). 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 hydrological year 2018 – 2019, its contribution of liquid water to the micro-basin has been less than 1 MMC. This situation is repeated in other snowy 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 center and south of the country, they are part of the Network of Monitored Glaciers in Latin America. This initiative provides up-to-date information on solid water reserves and glacial lakes, with the goal of 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, 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 the Peruvian authorities and the international community collaborate in the implementation of these efforts. Swiss cooperation has promoted projects such as Glaciers+ in Peru to sustainably manage water and restore ecosystems, while the project "Adaptation at Heights" focuses on improving climate resilience and fostering knowledge about mountain ecosystems. These initiatives are similar to efforts elsewhere in the world to mitigate environmental damage to glaciers.
The short film "Peru will run out of glaciers", part of the documentary "Effects of Climate Change in the Peruvian Andes" by SINE LIMES, documents the urgency of the situation. Initiatives like this are essential for raising awareness and encouraging 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.