Increased mass loss of glaciers in Volcán Domuyo (Argentinian Andes) between 1962 and 2020, revealed by aerial photos and satellite stereo imagery
Abstract
We present geodetic mass-balance estimates for ten glaciers (22.6 ± 1.1 km2) around Volcán Domuyo between 1962 and 2020 (and 46 glaciers covering 29 ± 1.5 km2 between 1984 and 2020), derived from airborne, ASTER and Pléiades imagery. Overall, we find a slightly negative mass balance (−0.15 ± 0.09 m w.e. a–1) for the entire 1962–2020 time span. A closer inspection of sub-periods reveals, however, an increasingly negative mass balance with time. The Domuyo glaciers shifted from a moderately positive mass balance of +0.28 ± 0.13 m w.e. a–1 between 1962 and 1984, to a strongly negative mass balance of −0.99 ± 0.19 m w.e. a–1 between 2012 and 2020. An increase in summer temperatures and a decrease in winter precipitation during the last four decades are likely drivers of the observed glacier changes. We support this finding by implementing a minimal glacier model, relying solely on monthly precipitation and air temperatures. The mass-balance evolution detected in Volcán Domuyo is consistent with other sites spread across the Central Andes, suggesting rapidly increasing glacier wastage impacts are occurring at a geographically wider scale.
Citation
Falaschi , D , Berthier , E , Belart , J M C , Bravo , C , Castro , M , Durand , M & Villalba , R 2023 , ' Increased mass loss of glaciers in Volcán Domuyo (Argentinian Andes) between 1962 and 2020, revealed by aerial photos and satellite stereo imagery ' , Journal of Glaciology , vol. 69 , no. 273 , pp. 40-56 . https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.43
Publication
Journal of Glaciology
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0022-1430Type
Journal article
Description
Funding: The authors acknowledge funding by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Técnica (Grant PICT 2007-0379 and PICT 2016-1282) and CONICET (Grant PIP 11220110100200). EB acknowledges support from the French Space Agency (CNES).Collections
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