Initially, a group of six assembled together. - The first nation in the Andes has now lost its entire glacial cover.
Venezuela is now the first Andean nation to have lost all its glaciers. There were six glaciers within South America, all of which have disappeared. These glaciers were located atop the Sierra Nevada, a mountain chain where locals believe reside mythical white eagles.
As determined by the United States Geological Survey, glaciers primarily form where average annual temperatures are close to freezing, and winter precipitation results in ample snow accumulation. It's crucial that temperatures aren't excessively high during other parts of the year to prevent the melting of the snow that's been gathered from the previous winter, allowing glaciers to grow and persevere. This hasn't happened for the renowned Humboldt Glacier either.
"At Humboldt Glacier, it's been an ongoing erosion process for years," mentioned astrophysicist Alejandra Melfo, part of the Universidad de los Andes in Mérida in an interview with "Noticias Telemundo."
Melfo further explained, "Tropical glaciers started fading in the 1970s, and their absence is quite apparent. It's quite sad, and the only way we can utilize their legacy is by showing our children how beautiful our Sierra Nevada once was."
Geologist Maximiliano Bezada of the University of Minnesota added, "Glaciers in the tropics, or below 5,000 meters, are mostly gone. The disappearance of the Humboldt Glacier was significant, as it was found at an altitude of 4,800 meters and has existed for quite a while, making it an unusual climate scenario."
Scientist Melfo continued, "Venezuela's glaciers are not the very first to vanish. Some have also been lost in Colombia and other nations. Venezuela had very few of them, and all were found in the Sierra Nevada. This is why Venezuela is the first country without any glaciers left."
Melfo also indicated that the quick rate of glacier melting is indicative of climate change. "Regardless, this isn't new," she said. "Glaciers have been disappearing for some time, but the speed at which they're melting has accelerated due to the high temperatures. Additionally, other drastic changes in species, plant, and animal compositions can be observed, and these alterations are recorded in documentation. For this reason, denying the existence of climate change could be grave for everyone."
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Source: symclub.org
