Photo by Natalia Mueller

 

More than 150 years ago, British naturalist Charles Darwin visited Tierra del Fuego and described high, snowy peaks, ice-filled valleys, and glaciers stretching all the way to the coast.

Today, an investigation by researchers at the Valdivia-based Center for Scientific Studies (CECS) revealed that Tierra del Fuego in Chile’s Region XI is home to an impressive 1,682 glaciers, making it the second biggest ice-covered surface and fresh water reserve in the country,. But the study also found that these bodies of ice are losing the battle against global warming.

The CECS investigators carried out an analysis of the glaciers in the zone between Seno Almirantazgo and the Beagle Channel, including on the Santa Ines, Monte Sarmiento and Hoste Islands. They used satellite images to measure the glaciers, and monitor changes over time. The results of the study will be published at the end of the year.

CECS researcher Andres Rivera, who is in charge of the glacier analysis, said he was “surprised” by the amount of ice they found. Only the Northern and Southern Ice Fields (between Regions XI and XII), which cover a total area of 14,000 square kilometers, are larger.

After carrying out preliminary measurements, he expected to find around 2,500 square kilometers of glacier ice, but the team discovered 3,289 square kilometers. He said Chile has around 4,000 glaciers in total.

Over the past 40 years the temperature in the Magellan region has risen 0.98 degrees Celsius, causing many of the glaciers to shrink. For example the Marinelli glacier has receded 13.6 kilometers in 93 years.

Rain and snow fall has also decreased substantially. In Puerto Williams, precipitation has fallen by an average of 200 millimeters over the past 50 years.

The glacier study was funded by the General Management for Water from Chile’s Ministry of Public Works (MOP). Rodrigo Weisner, the MOP general director for water, said the information gathered by the CECS researchers could be used to explore the hydric potential of the region.

The MOP Water Directorate has started a campaign to monitor the changing size of the Tyndall glacier, one of the biggest glaciers in the Southern Patagonia Ice Field which lies within the Torres del Paine National Park. They will install a pluviometric station to measure precipitation and a multi-shot camera on site to get the Tyndall glacier study underway.

SOURCE: LA TERCERA
By Natalie Muller ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )