According to a new study published in Science Journal, glaciers in the Andes mountains are retreating to their lowest point in 11,700 years. While scientists around the world predicted that glaciers would melt as temperatures in the tropics rose, the study’s analysis of rocks near four glaciers in the Andes Mountains revealed that the retreat has occurred much faster and has already exceeded an alarming cross-epoch benchmark, according to Jeremy Shakun, an Earth and environmental sciences associate professor at Boston College in the US. The Andes are South America’s principal mountain range and the world’s longest, running from south to north over Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia.

According to the scientists, the data indicate that more of the Glaciers in the Andes mountains are retreating more quickly than projected, maybe decades ahead of a dismal climatological schedule.

“Our data imply that several glaciers in the tropics are now smaller than they have appeared in at least 11,700 years, making the tropics the first major region where this milestone has been documented,” their paper stated. Even more, “given that modern glacier melt is mostly due to warmer temperatures instead of to less snowfall, or cloud shifts cover our findings indicate the tropics have already warmed beyond their Holocene range and into the Anthropocene,” according to Shakun. In other words, the glaciers may no longer be categorised as Holocene but as Anthropocene and may be “spelling their end.” The Anthropocene is a proposed moniker for the era that began with humans considerably altering the Earth and continues to this day.

For the study, researchers examined the chemistry of bedrock near four melting Andean glaciers and discovered two rare elements: Beryllium-10 and Carbon-14. Measuring the amounts of components in the bedrock indicated their exposure to sunlight.

As stated by Shakun, “By determining the amount of these isotopes in the lately exposed bedrock, we can figure out how much time in the past the bedrock was exposed – kind of like how getting burned can tell you how long someone was exposed to the sun“.

For the past million (10 lakh) years, the Earth has alternated between cold and warm periods known as ‘glacials’ or ‘ice ages’ and ‘interglacials’. The last ice age is considered to have peaked roughly 20,000 years ago, and the Earth is now in the Holocene epoch.

Lastly, recent research has shown that glaciers in the Andes mountains are retreating, a dramatic indicator of the escalating effects of climate change. This phenomenon poses serious threats to local water resources, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of communities that rely on glacier meltwater. Urgent action is necessary to reduce climate change and create adaptive methods to safeguard these critical ecosystems. Addressing the underlying causes of glacier retreat is critical for ensuring the region’s environmental and economic health.

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