The Argentine Institute of Snow, Ice, and Environmental Sciences (IANIGLA) has released a preliminary report on the update of the National Glacier Inventory, revealing an alarming situation for the glaciers in the Desert Andes region, which includes a part of San Juan.
According to the data, it is estimated that by the year 2100, the glaciers in this region will lose more than 80% of their current volume due to the increase in global temperatures.
The report, covering the Argentine Northwest and the northern sector of the Province of San Juan, including the Jáchal River basin, also highlights the impact of climate change on the periglacial environment in the region.
A concrete example of the seriousness of the situation is the Agua Negra Glacier, located just 2 km from Route 150, on the border with Chile, which has lost 14% of its mass in just 10 years. This trend is alarming and jeopardizes the survival of these unique and fragile ecosystems.
To have a comprehensive view of the province of San Juan, we must await the next publication of the update report on the Central Andes region.
## The Agua Negra Glacier: a Representative Case
In the Desert Andes region, since 2014, IANIGLA has been monitoring the Agua Negra Glacier, which has become the reference glacier for this mountain range region.
This body of ice is well delimited in a circle and has very little debris coverage. This small mountain glacier is located 2 km from International Route 150, connecting the city of San Juan in Argentina with La Serena in Chile.
In 2013, the Agua Negra Glacier had an area of 1.02 square kilometers and a length of 2 kilometers, with elevation ranges between 5,250 and 4,750 meters above sea level and a predominant orientation towards the southeast. However, in the last 10 years, the Agua Negra Glacier has decreased by approximately 14%.
The average annual mass balance for the period 2014-2023 was 0.75, with a total accumulated balance of -6.79. On average, the equilibrium line altitude was located at 5133 meters above sea level, while in some years such as 2020 and 2023, it was entirely above the upper limit of the glacier, which is around 5250 meters above sea level.
Regional warming and decreased precipitation are likely the causes, according to the report.
## Report Conclusions: Impact of Climate Change
The comparison between the results obtained in the inventory presented in 2018, mainly based on satellite images from 2010, and the current one, prepared mostly with images from 2020, indicates a reduction in area of 21.75 square kilometers in approximately 10 years. This decrease is mainly driven by snow loss (-23%) and exposed glacier ice (-17%).
Approximately 90 ice bodies located between 4,500 and 6,500 meters above sea level, mostly snow patches, identified in the first Inventory, were not visualized in the base images of this update. Due to the increase in global temperatures, it is estimated that by the year 2100, the glaciers in the Desert Andes will lose more than 80% of their current mass.
The periglacial environment throughout the Andes regions will also be affected by the impact of climate change. Experts attribute this to the increase in global temperatures, which have risen by 1.1ºC since 1850, directly impacting glaciers, causing their retreat and widespread volume loss.
In line with global warming, glaciers are rapidly losing mass worldwide. Global projections estimate they will lose approximately between 18% and 36% of their ice volume (as of 2015) by the end of the 21st century.
In the case of the Desert Andes, the previously presented analyses indicate a 17% decrease in the area of exposed glaciers and a 23% decrease in snow patches over the last 10 years.
## Updated Glacier Inventory
IANIGLA published the first results of the National Glacier Inventory update at the end of December. The document includes twenty-two sub-basins located in Catamarca, Jujuy, La Rioja, Salta, San Juan, and Tucumán.
The national government of Milei, through Resolution 142/2024 of the Vice Chief of the Interior Cabinet, belonging to the Chief of Cabinet of Ministers, approved the first publication of the National Glacier Inventory update.
Since the enactment of the Minimum Budget Law 26,639, Argentina had, for the first time in its history in 2018, a National Glacier Inventory (ING), which is an essential tool for the protection and management of the country’s solid water resources.
According to Article 4 of this law, the National Glacier Inventory must be updated every five years, verifying changes in the surface of ice bodies and the periglacial environment, their advancement or retreat status, and other factors relevant to their conservation.
In line with this objective, IANIGLA has just presented the first results corresponding to the Desert Andes region.
The work was carried out following the guidelines outlined in the National Glacier Inventory Update Plan by IANIGLA and CONICET. The Desert Andes region contains 22 sub-basins located in Catamarca, Jujuy, La Rioja, Salta, San Juan, and Tucumán.
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