- Massive ice chunks, some as tall as 70 m, have begun breaking off Perito Moreno Glacier with uncommon frequency after decades of relative stability.
- Scientific data reveal a shift since 2015, with the glacier losing up to 0.85 m of ice mass yearly and retreating at its front face.
- Rising local temperatures and reduced snowfall are creating an imbalance of accumulation versus melting, heightening concerns over the glacier’s future.
In recent months, visitors to Los Glaciares National Park have witnessed thunderous calving at Perito Moreno Glacier, as ice slabs up to 70 m high plunge into Lake Argentina. Tourists gather on viewing platforms or boat decks, cameras poised, to see walls of ice collapse into the vivid blue waters—a spectacle once rare but now occurring with growing regularity.
From Eight Decades of Stability to Emerging Retreat
For nearly 80 years, Perito Moreno maintained a dynamic equilibrium: advancing during some seasons, retreating in others, yet preserving its overall mass. That stability eroded around 2015, according to a 2024 CONICET report presented to Argentina’s Congress. Since then, the glacier has shed an average of 0.85 m of ice annually—the fastest loss in 47 years—and visible retreat along its front face has been documented since 2020.
Scientific Insights and Climate Drivers
Glaciologists point to a subtle but sustained rise in local air temperatures—approximately 0.06 °C per decade—coupled with decreased precipitation. Less snowfall atop the glacier means diminished ice formation, while warmer conditions and intensified calving accelerate losses at the terminus. The result is a clear mass balance shift: reduced accumulation above and increased melting below.
Visitor Experience Amid Mounting Concern
Despite these worrisome trends, Perito Moreno remains a powerful draw. Boats navigate close to towering ice walls, offering up-close views of floating bergs and dramatic splashes as ice detaches. As one Brazilian tourist remarked, the glacier’s scale and beauty defy full capture in photographs, making it a must-see destination—if only to appreciate, before it changes further, one of nature’s most remarkable icy giants.
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Source: Marine Insight
