Current state of glaciers in the tropical Andes: a multi-century perspective on glacier evolution and climate change

Abstract. The aim of this paper is to provide the community with a comprehensive overview of the studies of glaciers in the tropical Andes conducted in recent decades leading to the current status of the glaciers in the context of climate change. In terms of changes in surface area and length, we show that the glacier retreat in the tropical Andes over the last three decades is unprecedented since the maximum extension of the Little Ice Age (LIA, mid-17th–early 18th century). In terms of changes in mass balance, although there have been some sporadic gains on several glaciers, we show that the trend has been quite negative over the past 50 yr, with a mean mass balance deficit for glaciers in the tropical Andes…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• NA
  National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• WB
  World Bank Group
• ID
  Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
• CN
  Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
• SD
  Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación
• CN
  Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
• II
  Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research
• UG
  U.S. Geological Survey
• DF
  Direktion für Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit
• BF
  Bundesamt für Umwelt