The end of the eternal snows: Integrative mapping of 100 years of glacier retreat in the Venezuelan Andes
Venezuela will soon become the first Andean country to lose all of its glaciers, as the “eternal snows” of the Sierra Nevada de Mérida (SNM) disappear. Although documentation of glacier retreat in Venezuela commenced over a century ago, an updated reconstruction at sufficient spatial resolution is w...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:369ffb3338074552b10afb70386ed985 2023-05-15T14:14:32+02:00 The end of the eternal snows: Integrative mapping of 100 years of glacier retreat in the Venezuelan Andes Nerio Ramírez Alejandra Melfo Lynn M. Resler Luis D. Llambí 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2020.1822728 https://doaj.org/article/369ffb3338074552b10afb70386ed985 EN eng Taylor & Francis Group http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2020.1822728 https://doaj.org/toc/1523-0430 https://doaj.org/toc/1938-4246 1523-0430 1938-4246 doi:10.1080/15230430.2020.1822728 https://doaj.org/article/369ffb3338074552b10afb70386ed985 Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, Vol 52, Iss 1, Pp 563-581 (2020) climate change geographic information system glacier retreat historical evidence high tropical andes venezuela Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2020.1822728 2022-12-31T13:41:17Z Venezuela will soon become the first Andean country to lose all of its glaciers, as the “eternal snows” of the Sierra Nevada de Mérida (SNM) disappear. Although documentation of glacier retreat in Venezuela commenced over a century ago, an updated reconstruction at sufficient spatial resolution is warranted. Our objectives were to (a) produce detailed multitemporal maps of glacier cover in the SNM since 1952 and revise historical estimates for 1910 and (b) document changes in cover and rates of glacier retreat of the last Venezuelan glacier at Humboldt Peak. We integrated multiple information sources, including topographic/geomorphic evidence, high-resolution aerial photographs, satellite images, historical maps, panoramic photos, and field observations. We present 1:5,000 maps of glacier cover between 1952 and 2019 and revise the maps of 1910. In Venezuela, glacial area has decreased 98 percent between 1952 and 2019 (from 2.317 km2 to 0.046 km2). Glacier retreat rates increased after 1998, with a maximum of −16.9 percent year−1 between 2016 and 2019. These new maps should provide an essential tool for biophysical, ecological, and historical studies and a key reference for promoting awareness on climate change in the tropical Andes, where glaciers are intimately linked with cultural identity. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 52 1 563 581 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
climate change geographic information system glacier retreat historical evidence high tropical andes venezuela Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
climate change geographic information system glacier retreat historical evidence high tropical andes venezuela Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 Nerio Ramírez Alejandra Melfo Lynn M. Resler Luis D. Llambí The end of the eternal snows: Integrative mapping of 100 years of glacier retreat in the Venezuelan Andes |
topic_facet |
climate change geographic information system glacier retreat historical evidence high tropical andes venezuela Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Venezuela will soon become the first Andean country to lose all of its glaciers, as the “eternal snows” of the Sierra Nevada de Mérida (SNM) disappear. Although documentation of glacier retreat in Venezuela commenced over a century ago, an updated reconstruction at sufficient spatial resolution is warranted. Our objectives were to (a) produce detailed multitemporal maps of glacier cover in the SNM since 1952 and revise historical estimates for 1910 and (b) document changes in cover and rates of glacier retreat of the last Venezuelan glacier at Humboldt Peak. We integrated multiple information sources, including topographic/geomorphic evidence, high-resolution aerial photographs, satellite images, historical maps, panoramic photos, and field observations. We present 1:5,000 maps of glacier cover between 1952 and 2019 and revise the maps of 1910. In Venezuela, glacial area has decreased 98 percent between 1952 and 2019 (from 2.317 km2 to 0.046 km2). Glacier retreat rates increased after 1998, with a maximum of −16.9 percent year−1 between 2016 and 2019. These new maps should provide an essential tool for biophysical, ecological, and historical studies and a key reference for promoting awareness on climate change in the tropical Andes, where glaciers are intimately linked with cultural identity. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nerio Ramírez Alejandra Melfo Lynn M. Resler Luis D. Llambí |
author_facet |
Nerio Ramírez Alejandra Melfo Lynn M. Resler Luis D. Llambí |
author_sort |
Nerio Ramírez |
title |
The end of the eternal snows: Integrative mapping of 100 years of glacier retreat in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_short |
The end of the eternal snows: Integrative mapping of 100 years of glacier retreat in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_full |
The end of the eternal snows: Integrative mapping of 100 years of glacier retreat in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_fullStr |
The end of the eternal snows: Integrative mapping of 100 years of glacier retreat in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_full_unstemmed |
The end of the eternal snows: Integrative mapping of 100 years of glacier retreat in the Venezuelan Andes |
title_sort |
end of the eternal snows: integrative mapping of 100 years of glacier retreat in the venezuelan andes |
publisher |
Taylor & Francis Group |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2020.1822728 https://doaj.org/article/369ffb3338074552b10afb70386ed985 |
genre |
Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic |
genre_facet |
Antarctic and Alpine Research Arctic |
op_source |
Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, Vol 52, Iss 1, Pp 563-581 (2020) |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2020.1822728 https://doaj.org/toc/1523-0430 https://doaj.org/toc/1938-4246 1523-0430 1938-4246 doi:10.1080/15230430.2020.1822728 https://doaj.org/article/369ffb3338074552b10afb70386ed985 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2020.1822728 |
container_title |
Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
container_volume |
52 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
563 |
op_container_end_page |
581 |
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1766286950549946368 |