A century-long recession record of Glaciar O’Higgins, Chilean Patagonia

Abstract

Most glaciers in Patagonia are retreating rapidly. Glaciar O’Higgins, a freshwater calving glacier, has experienced the largest retreat rate of all, as measured from 1945 to 1986 (Aniya and others, 1992). Based on historical maps, early exploration reports and recent aerial photography, the front-position record of Glaciar O’Higgins is extended to cover the period 1896–1995). Climatic warming, in combination with the detaching of the glacier front from an island, is believed to be the cause of the rapid retreat.