The Ecuadorian Andes, emblematic for their beauty and ecological relevance, are facing an alarming reduction in surface area due to climate change, as more than a third of their glaciers are in danger. Recent studies reveal that between 1985 and 2023, Ecuador lost 35.4% of its glaciers, decreasing from 8545 to 5851 hectares. This phenomenon has serious implications for ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
Glacier retreat in Ecuador, documented since the mid-20th century, has significantly intensified since 1976. According to the report Glaciers of the Tropical Andes: Victims of Climate Change (2014), glaciers such as Cotopaxi, Antisana, and Chimborazo suffered a significant reduction in their ice layers due to rising global temperatures.
For example, the glacier on the Carihuairazo volcano completely disappeared, while the Iliniza Sur lost 81.2% of its surface area. Glacier reduction is more pronounced at elevations below 5100 meters above sea level, considered more vulnerable due to their exposure to ablation processes.
Climatic and Geographic Factors
Climate change, driven by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, is the main culprit of this crisis. Since the industrial era, global warming has accelerated, raising average temperatures and altering precipitation patterns.
The Amazonian climate system has a certain mitigating influence on the glaciers of the Eastern Cordillera, like Cayambe and Antisana, which experienced lower losses (around 30%). This is due to moisture from the Amazon that condenses and falls as snow on these mountains. However, in other glaciers, such as Cotopaxi, the combined effect of its volcanic activity and climate led to a 38.6% decrease in its ice mass.
Impacts on Ecosystems and Communities
The loss of glaciers has environmental, economic, and social consequences. Besides being natural freshwater reservoirs, glaciers regulate the planet’s temperature by reflecting solar radiation. Without them, the risk of climate imbalances, reduced water resources, and changes in nearby ecosystems increases.
In the Antisana volcano, for instance, the melting created an increase in lagoons, which might initially seem positive but indicates accelerated melting. Additionally, changes in surrounding vegetation and fauna are observed, with new species appearing and others disappearing.
In social terms, communities that relied on glacier tourism, such as those near Carihuairazo, lost economic opportunities. Activities like mountaineering were replaced by trekking, an adaptation to the lack of ice.
The Future of Glaciers: A Global Call
The melting of glaciers also contributes to rising sea levels, affecting coastal communities, and to the acidification of water sources, as documented in other Andean countries. The decrease in clean water and impacts on biodiversity are urgent challenges that must be addressed globally.
The UN declared 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Conservation and established March 21 as World Glacier Day, emphasizing the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to halt this phenomenon.
“If we do not take concrete measures to reduce emissions and protect our ecosystems, it will be extremely difficult to reverse the effects of global warming,” warns Bolívar Cáceres, a researcher at the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Ecuador (Inamhi). Glacier conservation is a global challenge that requires immediate collective commitment.
What are the causes and consequences of melting?
Melting is the process of ice and snow melting, caused by rising ambient temperatures. This phenomenon has negative consequences for the environment and life on Earth, driven by human-induced climate change. Some of the consequences include:
- Rising sea levels.
- Flooding.
- Release of methane, a greenhouse gas.
- Coastal erosion.
- More frequent and intense coastal storms.
- Species disappearance.
- Less freshwater.
- Climate impact.
Melting affects marine flora and fauna, as well as animals that depend on ice to survive. For example, polar bears, monk seals, penguins, koalas, Arctic foxes, snow owls, and reindeer are endangered.
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