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© 2022. This work is published under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

We present a comprehensive study of the evolution of the glaciers on the Antisana ice cap (tropical Andes) over the period 1956–2016. Based on geodetic observations of aerial photographs and high-resolution satellite images, we explore the effects of morpho-topographic and climate variables on glacier volumes. Contrasting behaviour was observed over the whole period, with two periods of strong mass loss, 1956–1964 (-0.72 m w.e. yr-1) and 1979–1997 (-0.82 m w.e. yr-1), and two periods with slight mass loss, 1965–1978 (0.10 m w.e. yr-1) and 1998–2016 (-0.26 m w.e. yr-1). There was a 42 % reduction in the total surface area of the ice cap. Individually, glacier responses were modulated by morpho-topographic variables (e.g. maximum and median altitude and surface area), particularly in the case of the small tongues located at low elevations (Glacier 1, 5 and 16) which have been undergoing accelerated disintegration since the 1990s and will likely disappear in the coming years. Moreover, thanks to the availability of aerial data, a surging event was detected on the Antisana Glacier 8 (G8) in the 2009–2011 period; such an event is extremely rare in this region and deserves a dedicated study. Despite the effect of the complex topography, glaciers have reacted in agreement with changes in climate forcing, with a stepwise transition towards warmer and alternating wet–dry conditions since the mid-1970s. Long-term decadal variability is consistent with the warm–cold conditions observed in the Pacific Ocean represented by the Southern Oscillation index.

Details

Title
New insights into the decadal variability in glacier volume of a tropical ice cap, Antisana (0∘29′ S, 78∘09′ W), explained by the morpho-topographic and climatic context
Author
Basantes-Serrano, Rubén 1 ; Rabatel, Antoine 2 ; Francou, Bernard 2 ; Vincent, Christian 2 ; Soruco, Alvaro 3 ; Condom, Thomas 2 ; Ruíz, Jean Carlo 4 

 Grupo de Ciencias de la Tierra y Clima, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena, Ecuador; CAOS, Observatorio del Clima, Quito, Ecuador 
 Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (IGE, UMR 5001), Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, 38000 Grenoble, France 
 Instituto de Investigaciones Geológicas y del Medio Ambiente, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia 
 Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (IGE, UMR 5001), Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble INP, 38000 Grenoble, France; UMR 7619 METIS, Sorbonne Université, Case 105, 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France 
Pages
4659-4677
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
ISSN
19940424
e-ISSN
19940416
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2731669220
Copyright
© 2022. This work is published under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.