Monitoring the physical processes driving the mass loss of Tapado Glacier, Dry Andes of Chile

Abstract We summarise 15 years of field and remote monitoring of Tapado Glacier in north-central Chile (30° S). Observations include meteorological records, direct mass balance measurements, uncrewed aerial vehicle surveys and tri-stereo satellite imagery for deriving high-resolution elevation changes. Frequent droughts and a significant warming trend of 0.29°C decade −1 since 1974 have caused a decrease in glacier surface albedo and an accelerated loss of glacier area and mass, particularly since the onset of the Chilean Megadrought in 2010, associated here with a 43% winter precipitation deficit. Geodetic estimates indicate increasingly more negative mass balance, varying from slightly negative before 2000 to −0.18 ± 0.35 m w.e. a −1 in 2000–12, −0.44 ± 0.11 m w.e. a −1 in 2012–20 and −0.75 ± 0.12 m w.e. a −1 after 2020. Glacier mass loss is associated with several morphological changes, such as increased penitente height, a larger total surface area of ice cliffs and supraglacial ponds over the debris-covered section and more frequent falls of snow and ice from marginal ice surrounding a steep area of exposed bedrock. Tapado Glacier exemplifies how glacier mass loss is driven by various processes, requiring multiple monitoring techniques, and highlights the accelerated changes of the Andes cryosphere.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Glaciology
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2025.24
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Cryospheric studies and observations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.60

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article

Monitoring the physical processes driving the mass loss of Tapado Glacier, Dry Andes of Chile

Michał Pętlicki, Álvaro Ayala, Eduardo Yáñez San Francisco, Nicole Schaffer et al.
2 citations
Journal of Glaciology
Cryospheric studies and observations
2.60
article

Monitoring the physical processes driving the mass loss of Tapado Glacier, Dry Andes of Chile

Michał Pętlicki, Álvaro Ayala, Eduardo Yáñez San Francisco, Nicole Schaffer, Christophe Kinnard, Gino Casassa, Benjamin Aubrey Robson, Simone Schauwecker, Sebastián Vivero, Franco Retamal-Ramírez, Gonzalo Navarro, Federico Moreno, David Hurst Thomas, Alexis Segovia, Shelley A. MacDonell
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Abstract We summarise 15 years of field and remote monitoring of Tapado Glacier in north-central Chile (30° S). Observations include meteorological records, direct mass balance measurements, uncrewed aerial vehicle surveys and tri-stereo satellite imagery for deriving high-resolution elevation changes. Frequent droughts and a significant warming trend of 0.29°C decade −1 since 1974 have caused a decrease in glacier surface albedo and an accelerated loss of glacier area and mass, particularly since the onset of the Chilean Megadrought in 2010, associated here with a 43% winter precipitation deficit. Geodetic estimates indicate increasingly more negative mass balance, varying from slightly negative before 2000 to −0.18 ± 0.35 m w.e. a −1 in 2000–12, −0.44 ± 0.11 m w.e. a −1 in 2012–20 and −0.75 ± 0.12 m w.e. a −1 after 2020. Glacier mass loss is associated with several morphological changes, such as increased penitente height, a larger total surface area of ice cliffs and supraglacial ponds over the debris-covered section and more frequent falls of snow and ice from marginal ice surrounding a steep area of exposed bedrock. Tapado Glacier exemplifies how glacier mass loss is driven by various processes, requiring multiple monitoring techniques, and highlights the accelerated changes of the Andes cryosphere.

Journal of GlaciologyVol. 71
Directorate General of Traffic (ES), University of Fribourg (CH), University of Concepción (CL), Lincoln University (NZ), Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research (NO), Universidad Católica del Norte (CL), Instituto de Estudios Avanzados (VE), Center for Northern Studies (CA), University of Bergen (NO), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH), Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (CA), Universidad de Magallanes (CL), University of Chile (CL), Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Cryospheric studies and observations
2.60
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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