Articles | Volume 18, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4633-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4633-2024
Research article
 | 
08 Oct 2024
Research article |  | 08 Oct 2024

El Niño enhances snow-line rise and ice loss on the Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru

Kara A. Lamantia, Laura J. Larocca, Lonnie G. Thompson, and Bryan G. Mark

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Cited articles

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Bradley, R. S., Vuille, M., Diaz, H. F., and Vergara, W.: Threats to water supplies in the tropical Andes, Science, 312, 1755–1756, 2006. 
Bradley, R. S., Keimig, F. T., Diaz, H. F., and Hardy, D. R.: Recent changes in freezing level heights in the Tropics with implications for the deglacierization of high mountain regions, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, 2009GL037712, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL037712, 2009. 
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Brecher, H. H. and Thompson, L. G.: Measurement of the retreat of Qori Kalis glacier in the tropical Andes of Peru by terrestrial photogrammetry, Photogramm. Eng. Rem. S., 59, 1017–1017, 1993. 
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Short summary
Glaciers that exist within tropical regions are vital water resources and excellent indicators of a changing climate. We use satellite imagery analysis to detect the boundary between snow and ice on the Quelccaya Ice Cap (QIC), Peru, which indicates the ice cap's overall health. These results are analyzed with other variables, such as temperature, precipitation, and sea surface temperature anomalies, to better understand the factors and timelines driving the ice retreat.
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