French scientists from the IRD and their colleagues in Bolivia and Ecuador performed the studies, which show that mass balance assessments indicate their rate of shrinkage has grown steadily over the past ten or so years. If it continues at this rate, their survival will be jeopardized - even in the short term. The researchers stated that the recent quickening of glacial melt in the Andes goes along with the greater intensity and frequency of El Nino events during that same time.
Andean glaciers are sensitive to climatic fluctuations.
Their small size and altitude make them representative of many glaciers throughout the Andean Cordillera. Over the past ten years for the Chacaltaya glacier and the past six years for the Antizana, researchers have been monitoring mass balance of the glaciers. The investigation's purpose is to estimate the difference between the water gain and water loss. The mass balance determinations have been pursued monthly for about ten years in the lower zone of the glacier where ablation processes are dominant. The results of the analyses show that the future of these small Andean glaciers is in jeopardy.