Glaciares permanentemente monitoreados para el balance de masa en los Andes tropicales

* m a.s.l.

** GMB (Glaciological Mass Balance) – HMB (Hydrological Mass Balance) – ENG (Energy Balance on one sites or several) – GT (Ground topography – snout fluctuation survey) – PHMR (Photogrametrical restitution and mapping).

*** IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) – COBEE (Compañía Boliviana de Energía Eléctrica) – IHH (Instituto de Hidraulica e Hidrología) – SENAMHI (Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología) – GLACIOCLIM (Glacier Observatoire du Climat) – INAMHI (Instituto de Meteorología e Hidrología) – INRENA (Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales) –

 1-2-3 : Ecuador (Antizana 15 - Antizana 12 - Carihuayrazo)

  4-5-6 : Perú (Artezonraju – Yanamarey – Sullcón)

  7-8-9-10 : Bolivia (Zongo - Charquini Norte – Charquini Sur – Chacaltaya)

ZONGO GLACIER (Bolivia, 16°S) .

Zongo is a small valley-type glacier located to the north-east of La Paz city, at the head of an important hydraulic power station which supplies the city. It is a ~3km long glacier, between ~6000 and ~4900m asl and its surface area reach 1.8 km2. Exposure is to the south in the upper part and to the east at the lower tongue. Mean temperature at the ELA (ca 5200 m asl for balanced years) is –1.5°C. The glacier is assumed to be temperate, except near the summit. Mean precipitation at the “Plataforma” (4770m asl) was about 900mm/year (±150mm) during the last 20 years. Ablation is concentrated during the wet summer season (October-April) and presents a clear peak in October-December, before the precipitation maximum of January-March (WGMS, 2007).

 

 

Since 1991, date of the beginning of the monitoring program, Zongo glacier has lost ~0.5 m w.e. per year, with a strong interannual variability. This glacier clearly has responded to the ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) variability, with stronger losses during the warm events and positive/balanced situations during the cold events.

Observations are conducted from La Paz by IRD* (Great Ice team) and IHH** (Grant team). They include permanent hydrological observations near the glacier snout and meteorological (radiative balance SW and LW, temperature (air/ground), precipitation (liquid/solid), wind (velocity/direction), albedo.

 

*Glacier et Ressources en Eau en hAute monTagne – Indicateurs Climatiques et Environnementaux

**Glaciares y Recursos Agua en los Andes Tropicales

 

 

ZONGO GLACIER: Summary Table (1991-2005)

1 Hydrological year  – 2 Specific Net Balance -  3 Cumulative Specific Net Bal;ance -  4 Equilibrium Line – 5

 Accumulation Area Ratio – 6 Precipitation at the edge of the glacier in the ablation zone  – 7 Runoff relative to glaciar area – 8 Hydrological balance of glacierr - 9 Cumulative evolution of glaciar snout