Glacier retreat with optical and radar images: Olivares Glacier and Juncal sur

Abstract

Most of the glaciers in Chile have experienced strong retreats and surface reductions from historical times to the present in response to global climate changes (1). Climate change is not the only factor, given that both the Anthropic intervention and/or natural factors may contribute to accelerating glacial shrinkage. Studies and measurements carried out by researchers have revealed that the Andean glaciers of the central zone are increasingly vulnerable to processes of mass loss and fragmentation as a result of the darkening of the ice and its effect on the absorption of solar radiation, a phenomenon known as the albedo effect. Not only are they losing surface, but they are also thinning up to two meters per year, a figure that is no less, since a large part of the glaciers in the central zone, and in particular in the Metropolitan Region, are no more than a few tens of meters Tall.

Having knowledge of the variation of the glacial area is essential for the decision-making process in the management and conservation of solid water reserves and thus face potential water crises in the region over time.

Through remote sensing techniques and the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the aim is to determine the variation in area and volume that the Olivares Alfa, Beta, Gamma and Juncal Sur glaciers have experienced and at the same time calculate the current speed of movement Juncal Sur Glacier.