Is Patagonia In Agony?

Patagonia is one of the regions with the broadest diversity of natural resources; its landscapes include forests, grasslands, deserts, glaciers, and mountains, home to many animal species. Its location, between Chile and Argentina.

Northern and southern zones separate the permanent ice sheet area. About 4000 square kilometers is the magnitude of the north zone of ​​the Patagonia ice sheet, with 30 main glaciers along its perimeter. The southern ice area covers about 13,000 square kilometers, much larger than the northern area; but with fewer glaciers.

With a whole area of ​​approximately 780,000 square kilometers, Patagonia has a third of its region in a degraded state, primarily due to poor grazing management. For many decades its inhabitants were dedicated to overgrazing, previously with more than 20 million sheep, nowadays that figure is reduced.

Climate change causes an increase of more than 1.5 ° C in the temperature. The north zones experience a decreasing rainfall between 10 and 30%, one of the primary water services for all the region habitats. Climate change contributes to a sharp decrease in water availability, a decrease of around 20 to 40% from the water sources in the northern Patagonian landscape.

Today, the annual rainfall regime has changed, this devastating damage started around 1950 in some parts of Patagonia, but with the increase in environmental damage, this tends to worsen.

According to scientists, there is a change in the usual rain patterns. Rain events are unbalanced in their region; the northern and southern areas of Patagonia increase, while the western and inner zones have very few rainfalls.

Image 1: Patagonia, an almost isolated region, has increased in suffering from environmental problems.

Patagonian glaciers

There are 48 glaciers in the Patagonian ice sheet; glaciers (like many others) are rapidly retreating and thinning, causing a massive mass loss in the ice fields. Unlike the Greenlandic glaciers that end in the sea, the Patagonia glaciers end in freshwater.

According to the scientists, the Patagonian ice fields melt to contribute around 10% of the total rise in sea level, attributable exclusively to mountain glaciers.

Most of the glaciers in the Patagonian fields are experiencing a negative balance, losing weight as a result of the thinning of the glaciers and the general retreat of the ice fronts.

Global warming, the main threat for glaciers, has caused the migration to other places, a strange behavior. According to NASA, three glaciers flow at more than 1 km per year. Less snowfall but more rain; the amount of snow that falls on the Patagonian Ice Fields decreased by around 5%; the annual accumulation of ice decreases and prevents glaciers from growing.

The Perito Moreno glacier is one of the most important in the region. With all 100 square miles, the glacier is 3 miles wide and rises 78 meters above the "Argentino" lake. The Perito Moreno Glacier is the third-largest freshwater reserve on the planet, second only to the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.

Perito Moreno glacier is particularly surprising to researchers because it is relatively stable in a warm climate, resistant to climate change, yet receding.

Although the Patagonian Andes are home to hundreds of small caps and valley glaciers, most of the ice is enclosed in three large ice fields, called Campos de Hielo Norte, Sur, and Cordillera Darwin (see Image 2).

Image 2: A part of the perpetual ice zone in Patagonia and some important glacier names (Image by NASA).

Other challenges

Not only the melting of glaciers is the main problem in the region. In this place, the ecology is very different, the chain of life more vulnerable.

Nutrient richness sustains the lives of southern right whales, dolphins, sea lions, sea lions, elephant seals, cormorants, and Magellanic penguins.

Huemul is an animal that was once common in the Patagonia region of South America. Today 1,500 or fewer of these furry deer still live in the wild. The native bumblebee is also in danger of disappearing, located mainly in Chilean Patagonia; estimations indicate that 90 percent have disappeared.

It is the most relevant feeding and reproduction site for blue whales when they make their way in the southeast Pacific during the austral summer.

The whales dodge hundreds of boats in the north of Chilean Patagonia in the annual route while trying to feed; many other whales cannot do it and die due to the collision.

Recently there was an enormous mass death of whales reported in a year; this was in the Patagonia region with 337 Whales Beached in the largest stranding ever, partly due to collisions and poisoning.

With the death of the whales by coalition with the ships, the industries involved with salmon farms have been associated, tons of fish extracted each year, besieged by hundreds of boats, and many times a source of problems among countries.

Additionally, reports indicate excessive agricultural and fishing practices that generate environmental pollution for the species that are at risk. A massive capture can cause the number of deaths to exceed the number of births and subsequently make the species vulnerable.

Similarly, in the search for natural resources, the damage has been caused to the land as the extinction of plant species on a regional scale, reduction and elimination of plant cover, soil erosion, etc. The factors involved have caused the green subantarctic forests of Patagonia are surprisingly reduced and in danger of extinction.

Image 3: Note the transition, desert, followed by Ice mountains, followed by forest. This diversity makes it very sensitive.

On the other hand, oil spills from oil exploration and transportation have reduced penguin populations. Overfishing threatens biodiversity and the food chain of the entire marine ecosystem. However, the reported impact is still in time and can fix the territory with regenerative techniques and adequate grazing techniques.

Land and sea use, including habitat loss and degradation; the overexploitation of local species, the introduction of foreign species and diseases, pollution, and climate change. All the reasons that threaten Patagonia, facts that must have a prompt remedy to improve the world environment.

Without taking care of nature, we cannot imagine solving the climate crisis soon.

Mainly people should focus on eliminating air pollution, preferably from its emission, referring to the industrial processes that do not emit such harmful pollutants.

Simultaneously, look to improve the ways of sustenance of the plants. When both fulfill, it will be a strong guarantee of an immediate improvement in the world state of nature.

 

References

• Mongabay. Michelle Carrere. Patagonia’s blue whales besieged by hundreds of boats, study finds. 26 March 2021. Link https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/patagonias-blue-whales-besieged-by-hundreds-of-boats-study-finds/.

• International leather maker. Mike Redwood. Leather and livestock improve biodiversity and poverty.  Published:  31 March, 2021. Link https://internationalleathermaker.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/9702/Leather_and_livestock_improve_biodiversity_and_poverty.html.

• Castañeda, María & González, Marcela. (2008). Statistical analysis of the precipitation trends in the Patagonia region in Southern South America. Atmósfera. 21. Climate change in northern Patagonia: critical decrease in water resources – Natalia Pessacg, et al.

• NASA. Kathryn Hansen. Melting beauty: The Patagonian icefields. NASA's Earth Observatory. Link https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2763/melting-beauty-the-patagonian-icefields/.

• WWF. Janet Joiner. Six Interesting Facts about Patagonia.  26 November 2010. Link https://www.worldwildlife.org/blogs/good-nature-travel/posts/six-interesting-facts-about-patagonia.

• Antartic Glaciers Org. Jacob Bendle. The Patagonian Icefields today. 22/06/2020. Link http://www.antarcticglaciers.org/glacial-geology/patagonian-ice-sheet/the-patagonian-icefields/.

• Schneider C, Braun MH, Schaefer M, Grießinger J and Casassa G (2020) Editorial: Climate Impacts on Glaciers and Biosphere in Fuego-Patagonia. Front. Earth Sci. 8:91. doi: 10.3389/feart.2020.00091.

• Bethan J. Davies, Christopher M. Darvill, Harold Lovell, Jacob M. Bendle, Julian A. Dowdeswell, Derek Fabel, Juan-Luis García, Alessa Geiger, Neil F. Glasser, Delia M. Gheorghiu, Stephan Harrison, Andrew S. Hein, Michael R. Kaplan, Julian R.V. Martin, Monika Mendelova, Adrian Palmer, Mauri Pelto, Ángel Rodés, Esteban A. Sagredo, Rachel K. Smedley, John L. Smellie, Varyl R. Thorndycraft, The evolution of the Patagonian Ice Sheet from 35 ka to the present day (PATICE), Earth-Science Reviews, Volume 204, 2020, 103152, ISSN 0012-8252, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103152.

• Why This Massive Glacial Arch Collapses Like Clockwork. Nat Geo. Sarah Gibbens. March 13, 2018. Link https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/perito-moreno-glacier-collapse-video-argentina-patagonia-spd.