Last week I was blessed to see from the plane an unimaginable view of the Southern and Northern Patagonian Ice-fields… which are known to be the largest glacier complexes outside the Polar Regions.
Besides the fantastic glaciers, I also saw the other side of the famous Fitz Roy.
Crossing from Puerto Natales to Puerto Mott in Chile, on a gorgeous day with few clouds, made this possible. I got a window seat and I had the camera near me, hoping to see something.
Never had I imagined that the experience would be so unforgettable…
After observing and photographing the glaciers from above, my curiosity grew, leading me to research more about these incredible ice formations. One of the most massive glaciers we passed along the way was the impressive Upsala Glacier.
Being the third largest in the Patagonian Ice Field (around 53km), the Upsala Glacier is well known for its rapid retreat over recent decades and is commonly used as evidence of global warming. It has been observed closely by Earth Observation satellites, which have shown that the glacier has retreated by around 9 km since 1986.
As of 2018 it has retreated to such degree that it no longer constrain its tributary Bertacchi Glacier. Many glaciers in the Patagonian Ice Field have been retreating during the last 50 years because of rising temperatures.
More info and a map with Upsala glacier change from 1985 to 2021 can be found on the European’s Space Agency’s website: esa.int.
Perito Moreno Glacier
30kms long, 5km in width and 170m thick, with an average of 74m height above the surface of the water of Argentino lake, it is one of the 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile.
Perito Moreno Glacier stands out as one of the rare glaciers in the world that defies the norm of retreating. Instead, it exhibits an incredible phenomenon of continuous growth. It propels forward at an average rate of two meters per day, while simultaneously losing proportional amounts of mass.
When the glacier advances and touches the coast of the peninsula, it forms a natural dam, which blocks a narrow channel formed by Lake Argentino raising the water level temporarily, which causes regular ruptures of the glacier into the lake.
This glacier finds its place within the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, which stands as the second-largest icefield in the world. Extending across the southern Andes, this colossal icefield is a remarkable remnant of the last Ice Age, which occurred approximately 18,000 years ago when the entire region was blanketed by a thick layer of ice.
Perito Moreno Glacier serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of the Ice Age and stands as a captivating reminder of our planet’s dynamic and ever-changing natural history.
Although we were rushing to return the rental car and catch a bus to Puerto Natales that same day, the 45 minutes we spent at Perito Moreno Glacier left me in awe of its immense ice mass. It was my first time being so close to such a massive glacier, and capturing its intricate details through my camera was an absolute pleasure.
Glaciers are the largest reservoirs of freshwater on our planet, and their melting or growing is one of the best indicators of climate change. Satellite data can help to monitor changes in glacier mass and, subsequently, their contribution to rising sea levels.
For more photos from Perito Moreno Glacier, check out my album.
