In 1850, **the Pyrenees housed 52 glaciers;** by 2020, that number had decreased to 19, and currently **only 14 active glaciers survive**. In a few years, five of these glaciers ceased to be considered as such, [due to their small size and lack of evidence of movement](https://noticiasambientales.com/ciencia/glaciares-en-retroceso-a-nivel-global-una-crisis-alarmante/). The rest are following a similar path.
The three most important glaciers —Aneto, Monte Perdido, and Ossoue (the latter in the French Pyrenees)— **are retreating at an alarming rate**. The summers of 2022 and 2023 resulted in ice losses three times higher than the annual average of the last 10 or 15 years. Although 2024 showed a slight improvement, **it is not enough to compensate for previous losses**, as explained by researcher Juan Ignacio López Moreno in an interview with EFEverde.com.
López Moreno, Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Zaragoza and researcher at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology of the CSIC, pointed out that if the climatic conditions of the last decade persist, **the Pyrenees glaciers will disappear in the next decade**.
Although **initial projections estimated their extinction by 2050**, the extreme events of 2022 and 2023 harmed their state by accelerating this trend, leaving an extremely reduced ice thickness even in the largest glaciers.
### ¿Qué hace que un glaciar se considere activo?
According to experts, **for a glacier to be considered active, it is essential for the ice to move**, which occurs when new ice is generated in the accumulation areas. In these areas, snow does not melt from one year to the next, eventually turning into ice that pushes down the previous ice. This flow is driven by gravity until it reaches areas with warmer temperatures, where the ice melts. However, **most Pyrenees glaciers lack this accumulation zone**, meaning that **no new ice is being produced**.
Size is also an important factor in defining a glacier. In the Pyrenees, **a glacier must have at least two hectares**, unlike other regions where a minimum of five hectares is considered.
**In 1850, the Pyrenees glaciers covered about 2,300 hectares**, but currently, **less than 150 remain**, representing less than 10% of their original volume at the end of the last cold phase, known as the Little Ice Age.
### El futuro de los glaciares del Pirineo
Recovering glaciers would require a drastic climate change, but there are no scientific projections suggesting global cooling. On the contrary, **climate change indicates that extreme heatwaves will become more frequent**, making the survival chances of the Pyrenees glaciers almost nil.
In fact, records revealed that the summers of 2022 and 2023 **tripled the ice thickness losses observed in the last decade**, averaging over three meters in thickness. However, in 2024, the losses were lower.
According to data from the CryoPyr Research Group of the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology, the most affected glaciers were Aneto, Monte Perdido, Ossoue, Llardana, and Infiernos, with average thickness losses of 0.3 meters, although with variations between them. Despite the snow accumulations in the spring of 2024, which contributed to less drastic losses, **the glaciers remain extremely vulnerable to current climatic conditions**.
### El impacto del retroceso glaciar
López Moreno emphasizes that even in the most favorable glacier areas, **the retreat is accelerating due to feedback phenomena**. As the ice withdraws, the slopes become steeper, accumulating less snow and leaving rocky outcrops that act as radiators, accelerating ice melting. Researchers observed that **ice losses are not slowing down but intensifying**.
The Pyrenees glaciers **are the only active glaciers in the Iberian Peninsula**, representing one of the southernmost ice reserves in Europe. Although they are not a significant source of water resources, **these glaciers form a unique landscape**, a symbol of high mountains. Their disappearance will have local repercussions, particularly concerning biodiversity. Some species of macroinvertebrates inhabiting glacier meltwaters, as well as the unique microbiological record of these areas, will vanish with the glaciers.
### La desaparición de un paisaje único
While these changes may seem small, López Moreno stresses that **the climate in the Pyrenees is changing and this change will affect many environmental processes**. The amount of water reaching rivers, evaporation, snow accumulation, and the health of high mountain forests and plants will be altered, as these ecosystems depend on current climatic conditions.
The Pyrenees glaciers **are a warning that climate change is happening at an alarming rate**, and urgent measures must be taken to mitigate its effects, concludes the researcher, who studied mountains in Spain, the Andes, North America, and Arctic regions.
### ¿Cuáles son las características de los glaciares del Pirineo?
The Pyrenees glaciers have the following characteristics:
– They are the southernmost glaciers in Europe.
– They are located on both sides of the Pyrenees, but are larger on the southern side.
– They are mountain glaciers in their final phase.
– They are in the process of total disappearance.
– They are highly sensitive to climate changes, such as temperature and precipitation.
– They have been receding since the mid-19th century.
– Moraines, ibones, and U-shaped valleys can be found in the Pyrenees glaciers.
– Animal and plant species such as chamois, ptarmigans, and Pyrenean saxifrage can be found in the Pyrenees glaciers.
Some types of glaciers that can be found in the Pyrenees are: Cirque glaciers, Valley glaciers, Accumulation glaciers, and Slope glaciers.
The Natural Monument of the Pyrenean Glaciers is located between the valleys of the Gállego and Noguera Ribagorzana rivers.
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