Spatial distribution and characteristics of Andean ice masses in Argentina: results from the first National Glacier Inventory

LAURA ZALAZAR; LIDIA FERRI; MARIANO CASTRO; HERNAN GARGANTINI; MELISA GIMÉNEZ; PIERRE PITTE; LUCAS RUIZ; MARIANO MASIOKAS; GUSTAVO COSTA; RICARDO VILLALBA

JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY

INT GLACIOL SOC

Lugar: London; Año: 2020

0022-1430

Glaciers and the periglacial environment in Argentina have been protected by the Law since2010. This legislation required the development of the first National Glacier Inventory(NGI), which was officially presented in May 2018 and based on satellite images spanningbetween 2004 and 2016. Here, we present the methods and results of the NGI, summarizethe glaciers? morphological and spatial characteristics, and compare our results to previousregional and global inventories. The NGI reveals an impressive variety of ice masses includingrock glaciers, permanent snowfields, mountain and valley glaciers with varying amounts ofdebris-cover and large outlet glaciers. The Argentinean Andes contain 16 078 ice masses covering an area of 5769 km2 between 200 and 6900 m a.s.l. Comparison of the combined nationalinventories of Argentina and Chile (∼30 000 glaciers and 28 400 km2) with the RandolphGlacier Inventory 6.0 for the Southern Andes (∼16 000 glaciers and 29 400 km2), shows thatthere are large differences in extent and number of glaciers in some sub-regions. The NGIrepresents an improvement for a better understanding of Argentina?s freshwater reservoirsand provides detailed information for the preservation and study of ice masses along4000 km of the Southern Andes.