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Extinction of Glacier in El Cocuy Confirmed, Alarms Raised Over Climate Change
Glacier Cerros de la Plaza G Sierra Nevada El Cocuy or Güicán in 2023. Photo: Courtesy Ideam
TL;DR
- The Cerros de la Plaza glacier in El Cocuy has been confirmed extinct, with 0 km² of ice coverage.
- The glacier's disappearance is the result of a prolonged degradation process over more than a century.
- Its low altitude made it vulnerable to rising temperatures, accelerating its melting.
- Colombia has lost 91% of its glacier area since the 19th century, with accelerated melting in recent decades.
- Between 2010 and 2020, glacier surface area dropped by 25.8%, and further significant reductions are projected.
- The loss of glaciers affects the hydrological regulation of high-mountain ecosystems.
- The remaining glacial ice volume in Colombia is estimated at 1.68 ± 0.24 km³ as of 2022.