In the trace of the thawing: The importance of monitoring the Mocho glacier

In the current situation, an alarming headline captured the media’s attention a few months ago: “6,000 Olympic pools lost in the last year, the heartrending thawing of the Mocho glacier”. However, beyond the shocking numbers, the inevitable question arises: Is this phenomenon the biggest thawing of a glacier in Chile? To answer this question, it’s necessary to go deeper into the precise monitoring that experts carry out at the Mocho glacier, thus revealing the true extent of its thawing.

This analysis not only evaluates the losses but also explores the deepest consequences of this phenomenon from various perspectives. From ecological and hydrological viewpoints to the field of tourism, the consequences are intertwined in a complex web that redefines the relationship between men and nature.

Fundación Glaciares Chilenos had the privilege of interviewing renowned academics in the field of sciences, including Dr. Marius Schaefer, who is an academic of the Institute of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the Austral University of Chile; Paul Sandoval Quilodrán, MSc candidate in Water Resources of the same university; and Jorge Berkhoff, PhD candidate from the Institut für Geographie de la Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany.

• Glacier in danger 

It’s set deep in the majestic Mocho-Choshuenco National Reserve, situated in the province of Valdivia, Los Ríos region. The Mocho glacier stands as the indisputable protagonist of the region. Among its main characteristics, “it’s a mountain glacier attached to a volcanic complex, in latitude 40ª south, which is a southern latitude for Chile, but quite low for the rest of the world. It’s a highly dynamic glacier that in recent years has created new lakes that give signs of its deterioration”, explains Marius and Jorge.

An interesting point to note is the elevation range in which it’s located, “between the 1,700 and 2,400 m asl; in terms of scientific and glaciological relevance, the glacier has the largest study history in the entire southern glaciological zone,” in Paul’s words.

The current situation of the glacier is alarming, Marius points out: “Millions of cubic meters have been lost, but since millions are hard to obtain, let’s turn them into Olympic pools and there we’re close of the 6,000 and one pool is 2 ,500 cubic meters (6,000 x 2,500= 15,000,000 cubic meters”). Scientists are still not clear about the causes of this major thawing, “we’re recently looking at data (…) last summer was the thawing, last winter was normal with a positive tendency but summer was more special. We’re trying to understand the reason for it; of course, the main suspect is high temperatures.” He also adds: “The temperature tendency isn’t clear either because to talk about tendencies, we need to have at least 30 years of data, and we only started here in 2003, so we still have some years to go”.

• Monitoring the thawing process

Monitoring glacial melt is of vital importance today due to its crucial role in the global climate system, as well as in the supply of hydrological resources to communities around the world. These ice giants act as sensitive indicators of environmental and climate changes, providing invaluable information about the planet’s health. The continuous tracking of ice mass, glacier retreat, and other related phenomena allows scientists to better understand the effects of climate change and take informed decisions to reduce its negative impacts. In addition, the monitoring of the glaciers is essential for water management planning, natural disaster prevention, and the protection of vulnerable ecosystems that depend on glacier resources for their survival.

In relation to the Mocho glacier, Paul tells us: “This yellow border covers the entire volcanic complex, and there are two volcanoes and summits. Here in the north is the Choshuenco volcano, and further to the south is the Mocho volcano.”

Jorge explains to us: “Since 2020, constant monitoring has been carried out with the General Water Directorate (DGA, by its Spanish acronym) to observe how the glacier’s ice thickness changes and to understand the glacier dynamics by installing weather stations on the glacier.”

The thawing of the Mocho glacier and its monitoring raise a key question in the Chilean context: It’s the biggest thawing of the country? Marius gives us an answer: “Saying that the Mocho glacier is the biggest thawing isn’t true; it’s proportional to the size of the glacier, and here we’re talking about a glacier around 5 km², which is a medium-sized glacier in Chile. The average size would be 1 km², so we’re not talking about a small glacier, but neither about an excessively large glacier. Of course, if we see it in Patagonia, where there is a glacier covering hundreds of square kilometers, the bigger the loss will be. La Tercera [Chilean newspaper] published that it was the biggest thawing, and they never talked with us to verify the data” What really happens is that this thawing corresponds to “the most negative mass balance in the history of monitoring at Mocho,” Paul claims.

Jorge adds: “Another method that began to be used is called the geodetic method. Mainly, the mass balance is understood as the health status of the glacier, and the geodetic method only measures the variety of altitude; therefore, we need satellite images to measure the edge and also the elevation data for the entire glacier, and that is a technique that began to be implemented in Mocho as well, which Marius, Paul, and I began to use. Clearly, if we use older data, we can reconstruct it with that data.”

In this context, a relevant question arises: What monitoring techniques are used to evaluate the surface variation of the Mocho glacier, and how have they evolved over time? Marius explains: “(…) control points are installed on the glacier, and it shows how the surface varies in these control points. In relation to how it has been modified, for example, we have now started measuring the accumulation with radar, which we previously tried with stakes, and it’s an improvement in my opinion. And together with the DGA, we have started to use LIDAR, which is basically a radar but with light; it’s a complementary method and a very expensive piece of equipment.”

• The thawing impact

Marius tells us, “No major consequences have been observed regarding the thawing, nor the water supply. There isn’t much data on the subject. We’re in a zone with high precipitation, but we haven’t studied the issue expensively. I would say that the effect here isn’t as severe as in the Central zone.”

Jorge makes a comparison between the touristic impact of this thawing and what is happening with the Exploradores glacier: “At Exploradores, there are people who live from the mountain activities. I believe there are eight companies, and 100 people go hiking there every day. The Mocho is completely different; there’s only one person who carries out the climbs, with two or three others, only two or three times per week, and if they do it. Therefore, from a tourist point of view, it hasn’t had much of an impact; what has a real impact is the glacier’s visual appearance and how it changes from one year to the next regarding frontal retreat. Unlike Exploradores, which has much better access, the Mocho has a much more significant elevation gain.” 

• The challenges of science 

Currently, science faces various crucial challenges in monitoring glaciers and understanding the phenomena associated with their thawing. With climate change in full swing, the necessity to understand and predict the consequences of the glacier retreat becomes more and more compelling. Scientists face the task of improving the precision of the prediction models of glacier thawing, as well as identifying and understanding new related phenomena, like the ice flow acceleration and the influence of local and global climate circumstances on the stability of glaciers

One challenge for scientists, Paul tells us, is what are known as supraglacial lakes, which “are lakes that form around the glacier (…), and it’s a very dynamic process, because sometimes we get there and they are there; other times they are not. It would be very interesting to know what is really happening there and what’s going to happen in the future.”

These supraglacial water bodies on the glacial surface are increasing in number and size due to the accelerated thawing of glaciers induced by climate change. Understanding the dynamics of the formation, evolution, and behavior of supraglacial water bodies is essential for predicting the effects of the glacial thawing on the water supply and the risks associated with the sudden release of large volumes of water.

Another important challenge facing science today is understanding the complex relation between water and ice in the glaciers. This challenge involves investigating how changes in temperature and pressure affect glacier melting and flow, as well as the interaction between meltwater and the internal structure of ice. This is linked directly to the study of supraglacial lakes, Jorge explains to us: “These lakes can also affect the surrounding walls, and it’s important to be able to project these lakes and understand their dynamics much better, because it’s happening in the majority of Chile’s glaciers, where lakes are forming at the front or supraglacial lakes are forming that alter the dynamics. I believe understanding the dynamics of these lakes is the next step for the Mocho glacier.”

We also emphasize the work that Paul is performing, that is, the measuring of scale water. He explains to us: “There is plenty of glaciological knowledge in the zone, but very little hydrological knowledge, which makes sense on a national scale, because the water shortage is in the central Andes, and that’s where there is a major focus for understanding the glaciers as natural water reservoirs. And what I really would like to understand is the interaction between glaciers and hydrology in this southern zone, and what I am doing in my thesis is to see when the glacier’s maximum discharge occurs and relate it to the temperature’s maximum. In other words, I’m measuring the time lag between the maximum temperature and the river’s peak discharge, which mirrors the solar radiation cycle.”

• Outreach

The role of science in outreach knowledge is essential for promoting public understanding, scientific literacy, and informed decision-making. Through different media and platforms, the scientists communicate their discoveries, theories, and advances in their respective fields, making scientific knowledge accessible to audiences of all ages and educational levels. 

Marius explained to us this point and how science works: “We have to raise funds for science to work, and the currency is the scientific publications, so I can publish in journals or talk to decision-makers but that doesn’t guarantee me scientific projects; so that is our core work, along with teaching. We do the rest because we enjoy it (…) so in that sense, the first responsibility of our knowledge is sharing information between colleagues, understanding what we are seeing well, and looking if someone is interested in it, to go and do science in some place, that’s how science works.”

Now, what is the task of science? Marius mentions: “If the scientist’s task is to contribute empirical data and diffusion, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) did that step — to seek dialogue with the decision makers — and it’s pretty valued, and we need to evaluate it in terms of how we do science.”

Paul adds: “As Marius was saying, the rest of the outreach is for the love of art (…) I constantly give talks, creating really beautiful dialogues where people are more interested in studying glaciers, with a lot of questions. That interaction is personally so fulfilling. So, in the end, we do it because we like this scientific outreach, because when people learn more about these things, they become much more interested in taking care of them. Therefore, the discussion is more closely linked to that, doing it for the love we have for this.” 

• Conclusion

At present, the thawing of the Mocho glacier, even if it captures the attention with worrying headlines about the loss of millions of square kilometers of ice, goes far beyond being only one stunning statistic. This phenomenon raises deep and diverse concerns that not only affect the natural environment but also human life in its multiple dimensions. It’s essential to recognize that glacier thawing has ramifications ranging from ecological to economic and social.

Marius thinks about it: “It’s important to understand that the glacier’s topic is not local; it’s completely global. We could stop using fossil fuels in Chile, and glaciers will still melt. Now, what can we do to protect the glaciers? The answer is the same for everyone on the planet: Stop using fossil fuels. It’s that simple (…) we still have time, but we are on the edge (…) we know what the points of no return are for the climate system, and if we exceed those points, it can have terrible effects that are not so easily reversed.”

The meticulous monitoring realized by experts allows us to understand the real scale of this thawing and its effects on water supply, biodiversity, water security, and other key aspects.

Paul concludes: “We need to understand that we are in a crisis, and we need to do this for ourselves and for the new generations (…) Finally, go to the mountain, to the glaciers; as we see this scenic beauty, feelings will grow, and we will want to create new changes.” 

Jorge tells us about how his life changed when he lived in Germany: “I had zero recycling habits, but my lifestyle changed when I arrived in Germany, because they forced me to recycle. I only use the bicycle, whether it’s winter or summer, with rain or sun. I think it’s hard to get used to, but you can adopt this lifestyle, which is even beneficial to your health, because you’re constantly exercising, so you get a win/win situation changing your lifestyle, not only for the planet but also for yourself.”

The reflections of Marius, Paul, and Jorge lead us to a clear and convincing conclusion: The glacier’s protection and climate change mitigation are shared responsibilities that require urgent and coordinated actions on a global level. Furthermore, they remind us that we all have a role to play in protecting our planet and that together we can make a difference. It’s time to act with determination and commitment to face the challenges of climate change and preserve the glaciers and the environment for future generations. 

Fundación Glaciares Chilenos is deeply grateful for the work carried out by Marius, Paul, and Jorge; for their contribution and dedication to the study and monitoring of the Mocho glacier. Their hard work and commitment have been fundamental in enriching our understanding of glacier dynamics and the challenges these ecosystems face in the context of climate change.

 

• Bibliography
  • Ministry of Public Works (MOP) – General Directorate of Water (DGA)
  • Glaciology Laboratory
  • Bibliography: Used for the historical compilation of mass balance.

  Featured Image:

  • Mocho glacier, Los Ríos Region. Dr. Marius Schaefer @glaciouach