Germana Carillo The ice caps of Patagonia, still relatively unknown, actually cover an area of about 6,177 square miles. And they too, as is almost to be expected, are feeling the effects of the climate crisis
The Patagonian ice caps, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere excluding Antarctica, are also retreating due to climate change. A recent study has quantified their mass and confirmed their extreme fragility: the ice caps of Patagonia contain forty times more ice than all the glaciers of the European Alps and are extremely vulnerable.
@Communications Earth & Environment
“We knew very little about the Patagonia ice caps, two huge glacial fields slightly smaller than the size of the Veneto region,” explains Emanuele Lodolo, a researcher at the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS). “Until now, we had little information on their thickness and the volumes involved, even though they extend for about 80 and 217 miles in the northern and southern ice cap, respectively, with widths exceeding 37 miles.”
Analysis of satellite maps and geophysical information now shows that some glaciers on the eastern side of the ice cap have retreated several yards over the past few decades, while others have remained essentially stable. These dynamics are influenced by the morphology and depth of the lake basins they flow into: where deeper, the retreat of glacier fronts has been more significant and rapid.
@Communications Earth & Environment
@Communications Earth & Environment
“While glaciers in the European Alps rarely move more than 218.72 yards a year, most of the Patagonian glaciers exceed this speed, and some even reach speeds of several miles a year. Only the glaciers originating from the large ice caps of Greenland and the West Antarctic show such high rates of flow,” explains Lodolo.
The ice caps of Patagonia lose an average of 3.28 feet in ice thickness each year, which has significant effects not only on the region’s water resources but on the entire surrounding ecosystem.
“This fuels great concern, also related to the increased risk of extreme weather events that have severely affected the region in recent years,” concludes Lodolo.
