The Administration of the Los Glaciares National Park reported through a statement that they continue to analyze the area used by the tourist transport vessels that operate in the Puerto Bajo de las Sombras, in front of the Perito Moreno glacier, due to the presence of fuel residues on the surface of Lake Argentinoin Santa Cruz.
The day April 22, park rangers from the protected area detected a failure in one of the engines of the Alacalufe boatbelonging to the company Hielo y Aventura SA, which navigates the Rico arm between Puerto Bajo de las Sombras and the Perito Moreno Glacier.
Once the notice was received, the Los Glaciares National Park Administration instructed the staff to prepare a record of what happened and The company was ordered to leave the vessel in port with the aim of stopping the environmental damage it was generating.. In turn, the institution notified the Argentine Naval Prefecture and a criminal complaint was filed before the Federal Court and the corresponding contravention summary was initiated.
During all the inspections and tours carried out, so far no traces of contaminating substances or objects were found, both in the water body and on the coast; However, the situation continues to be monitored.
On the other hand, days before what happened, park rangers who were carrying out work at the top of the hills in front of the Perito Moreno Glacier They observed the presence of numerous dark spots over a large part of the surface of the lake that can even be observed from satellite images..
Although they were initially reported as “large traces of hydrocarbons floating in the lake”, and were thus disseminated by numerous media outlets, In reality, they would be dark-colored trails that are produced by the entry of material from tributary streams with waters of different colors. and that remain on the surface with little mixing once they reach the lake.
This natural event is particularly evident during the beginning of autumn, after the first snowfalls. Once the water from these streams with an abundant load of organic matter enters the lake -which has a typical milky color derived from glacial clays- incorporates a large amount of organic compounds present in leaves, trunks and other organic substances in the soilwhich are observed as dark spots in the body of water.
To evaluate this phenomenon, Sentinel satellite images were reviewed, freely accessible through the Copernicus online platform and updated daily, where This event can be observed over the years in Lake Argentinomainly during the months of early autumn and spring, periods in which more thaws occur and there is greater availability of organic matter in the forest.