Peru's Quelccaya Ice Cap Size Driven By Temperature, Not Snowfall
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 - 16:31
in Earth & Climate
Temperature has been driving the fluctuating size of Peru's Quelccaya Ice Cap, not snowfall. The Quelccaya Ice Cap is the largest ice mass in the tropics and sits 18,000 feet above sea level in the Peruvian Andes. The dramatic shrinkage of the tropical glacier in recent decades has made it a poster child for global climate change. The findings support suspicions that tropical glaciers are shrinking because of a warming climate, and could help scientists to better understand the natural variability of past and modern climate and to refine models that predict tropical glaciers' response to future climate change. read more