Glacial retreat of the Nevado Huaytapallana as a consequence of global warming

Abstract

Peru concentrates 71 % of the world’s tropical glaciers with 20 mountain ranges identified with the presence of glaciers and 3 044 net glaciers distributed over an estimated area of 1 958 km2, all of them located on the summits of the Andes, whose melting generates about 98 % of the water resources that drain to the slope of the Atlantic and less 2 % to the slope of the Pacific that are commonly used for human consumption and for the various productive activities, such as agriculture, electricity generation, mining among others . Glaciers are solid reserves of fresh water in Peru, however, 22 % of the glacier surface has been lost in the last 35 years, taking as reference the glacier surface of 1 970 equivalent to 1 958 km2 and compared with the last records of the year 2,006 equivalent to 1 370 km2, and with records updated to 2 010 equivalent to 1 230 km2 of surface area. A linear estimate indicates that glaciers will be lost below 5 000 m a.s.l. past 2015.