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Perito Moreno Glacier Record Melt Rates Signal Risk of Rapid Retreat

Radar and satellite surveys confirm a sixteenfold melt rate increase since 2019, with complete loss of moraine support exposing the ice tongue to warmer lake water.

Overview

  • Measurements show the glacier has thinned by 5.5 m per year since 2019, compared with just 0.34 m annually from 2000 to 2019.
  • Terminus surveys reveal up to 800 m of retreat at key glacier tongues since 2019, shaving about two square kilometers off its surface area.
  • The ice front no longer rests on submerged moraines, leaving it fully bathed in warmer lake currents that accelerate melting.
  • Data indicate the subglacial bedrock ridge that once anchored the glacier is now undermined, raising the prospect of a rapid, multi-kilometer collapse.
  • Model projections warn that the glacier could lose an additional 15 km² in coming years and abandon its signature ice-dam events on Lago Argentino.