Until a few months ago, the Ritacuba Whiteone of the highest peaks in the Colombia, at 5,410 meters the third overall and the highest in the Cordillera Oriental, was covered by a blanket of homogeneous snow. But rising temperatures have recently caused large cracks to appear in the ice, showing that it is slowly dying.
In the lowest part, at an altitude of 4,950 meters, large cracks are revealing previously hidden rocks. The authorities blame The boy, which has been affecting the area since late 2023. This cyclical global climate phenomenon is generally associated with increases in temperatures and severe droughts, resulting in devastating forest fires. It occurs on average every two to seven years, with episodes generally lasting between nine and twelve months. The current episode, however, is occurring “in the context of a climate modified by human activities”, noted theWorld Meteorological Organization.
Colombia, the agony of the Ritacuba Blanco glacier
Colombia, which boasts some of the richest biodiversity in the world, recorded the hottest month in its history in March, with temperatures reaching 42.4°C in some places. “The El Niño phenomenon is perhaps the worst thing that can happen to our snow-capped peaks or glaciers,” says Jbarley Luis Ceballos, glaciologist at the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam). “There is no cloud cover and therefore there is no snowfall”, underlines the scholar.
Of the 14 tropical glaciers that existed in Colombia at the beginning of the 20th century, only six remain. The Ritacuba Blanco, located in Sierra Nevada del Cocuy National Park, about 250 km north-east of the capital Bogotá, is the most threatened. “At the end of last year, the walls here were about six meters high (…) now they have dropped to one meter,” explains the guide Edwin Prada.
(afp)
According to the most recent data, in 2022, about 12.8 km2 of this territory was covered by ice and snow, the smallest area since Ideam began surveys. In 2010, snow cover was 16.5 km2 and 19.8 km2 in 2003. In recent months, “snow has melted due to lack of precipitation and ice has been exposed to solar radiation, which has accelerated the thawing process,” explains Ceballos. According to theCopernicus European Climate Observatory (C3S), in 2023 the planet saw the highest temperatures ever recorded. In Asia, the hardest-hit continent, the icy peaks of the Himalayas are also disappearing, threatening the region’s water security, according to the World Meteorological Organization
El Niño also caused large fires in Colombia this year. In total, more than 17,000 hectares of forest have gone up in smoke across the country. Some flames reached the support, the fragile ecosystems typical of the Andean countries. Many of the small lakes that usually supply water to villages have also dried up.
(afp)