Peruvian scientists from the National Research Institute of Mountain Glaciers and Ecosystems (Inagem) found that the country has lost 56.22% of its ice cover since 1962, with 175 ice sheets lost between 2016 and 2020. Researchers talked about this Agency Associated press.
According to experts, the main factor in the melting of mountain ice in Peru was the increase in average global temperature, causing the glaciers to retreat rapidly.
Today, approximately 1,050 square kilometers of ice sheet remain in the South American country. Some mountain systems, including the Chila massif, have lost 99% of their ice in the last six decades. This could impact the health of the Amazon River, as the Chila glaciers are one of the most important primary water sources for the world’s largest river.
According to Inagem President Beatriz Fuentealva, the loss of glaciers poses a direct risk to the lives of sea-level inhabitants. In 1970, a large ice sheet in the northern Andes broke away after a powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake, causing a landslide that destroyed the town of Yungay. More than 20 thousand people were victims of the disaster.
Previous scientists to create Positive effects of climate change on glaciers in the Alps.