The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 19, issue 12
Articles | Volume 19, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6629-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6629-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 19, issue 12
Brief communication
 | 
08 Dec 2025
Brief communication |  | 08 Dec 2025

Brief communication: Tropical glaciers on Puncak Jaya (Irian Jaya/West Papua, Indonesia) close to extinction

David Ibel, Thomas Mölg, and Christian Sommer

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Cited articles

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As the majority of (tropical) glaciers retreat on a global scale, we analysed area changes of the Puncak Jaya glaciers in South East Asia on West Papua, Indonesia, using high resolution optical satellite imagery, supported by historical glacier accounts. The results show a decrease of total glacier surface area by more than 99 % since 1850 and by ~65 % since the last survey in 2018, with glacier area (in 2024) amounting to 0.165 km2 ± 5 %. Puncak Jaya glaciers will likely disappear around 2030.
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