Our first grant-funded expedition led us to Juncal Norte Glacier, along the Juncal River in the central Andes and through Parque Andino Juncal, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance near Chile’s border with Argentina.  We shot the modern photo below in December 2011, to compare with the 1959 photo taken by glaciologist Ulrich Lorber.

The resulting photo pair below indicates more debris in modern times, some thinning along the glacier tongue and evidence of push moraines.  It’s important to note that the dark-colored debris attracts more heat from the sun and contributes to melting of the glacier tongue.

The photo pair below is presented for comparative purposes with more of the glacier tongue and moraine visible in the 2011 photo.

Many thanks to Matt Beedle at GlacierChange.org for helping to edit this repeat photo pair and for our collaboration!  Check out his collection of repeat photography, writings, and artwork.

We have shared our photos with glaciologists to use in their archives of repeat glacier photography.  We submitted our trip report and photo as part of the American Alpine Club Nikwax Alpine Bellwether Grant, sponsored by Nikwax and the American Alpine Club.

Read more about our 2013 expedition to Cerro Plomo, one of Santiago’s many glaciated peaks and important water sources.

© Copyright 2013 Kurt J. Sanderson unless otherwise noted.