A joint investigation between scientists from Argentina and Germany revealed that the Perito Moreno Glacier, located in the province of Santa Cruz, is going through a critical melting phase, with a retreat of more than 800 meters between 2019 and 2024.
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment and suggests that this behavior could replicate the regression pattern observed in other glaciers in the Patagonian region.
Satellite technology and aerial scanning to measure retreat
The scientific work was based on the analysis of satellite data collected between 2000 and 2024, complemented by a radar suspended from a helicopter that allowed scanning the ice and measuring its current thickness.
The study was led by Moritz Koch, a doctoral student at the Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg, who stated that the glacier has ” passed a turning point” and left behind its historical stability.
From stability to accelerated retreat
Between 2000 and 2019, the glacier showed a minimal variation of just 100 meters, which distinguished it for its relative stability compared to the retreat of other glaciers in the Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Fields.
However, starting in 2019, there was a sudden increase in the loss rate, reaching 800 meters in just five years, which raised alarms among researchers.
Risk of collapse due to loss of anchorage and basal pressure
Scientists identified a rock structure under the glacier that acted as natural support until a few years ago.
With the ice thinning and the rising water pressure, the glacier front loses contact with that base, accelerating detachment. Additionally:
- Contact with deep and warm waters intensifies subaqueous melting
- Reduction of lateral and basal pressure allows the ice to slide more rapidly
Climate change: the main driver of glacier retreat
The study points to global climate change as the dominant factor behind glacier mass loss.
The increase in temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns are impacting glaciers on all continents, and Perito Moreno is not exempt from this trend.
Researchers warn that, under current climate policies, more than 75% of the world’s glacier volume could be lost in the coming decades.
Environmental implications and the urgency of action
The retreat of the Perito Moreno not only represents a loss in landscape and tourism but also has profound ecological consequences:
- Alteration of water cycles
- Impact on local biodiversity
- Changes in geological and sedimentary dynamics
