Annual Variability in the Cordillera Blanca Snow Accumulation Area Between 1988 and 2023 Using a Cloud Processing Platform
Tropical glaciers are highly sensitive to climate change, with their mass balance influenced by temperature and precipitation, which affects the accumulation area. In this study, we developed an open-source tool to map the accumulation area of glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru (1988–2023), usi...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Júlia Lopes Lorenz Kátia Kellem da Rosa Rafael da Rocha Ribeiro Rolando Cruz Encarnación Adina Racoviteanu Federico Aita Fernando Luis Hillebrand Jesus Gomez Lopez Jefferson Cardia Simões |
| author_facet | Júlia Lopes Lorenz Kátia Kellem da Rosa Rafael da Rocha Ribeiro Rolando Cruz Encarnación Adina Racoviteanu Federico Aita Fernando Luis Hillebrand Jesus Gomez Lopez Jefferson Cardia Simões |
| author_sort | Júlia Lopes Lorenz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tropical glaciers are highly sensitive to climate change, with their mass balance influenced by temperature and precipitation, which affects the accumulation area. In this study, we developed an open-source tool to map the accumulation area of glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru (1988–2023), using Landsat images, spectral indices, and the Otsu method. We analyzed trends and correlations between snow accumulation area, meteorological patterns from ERA5 data, and oscillation modes. The results were validated using field data and manual mapping. Greater discrepancies were observed in glaciers with debris cover or small clean glaciers (<1 km<sup>2</sup>). The Amazonian and Pacific sectors showed a significant trend in decreasing accumulation areas, with reductions of 8.99% and 10.24%, respectively, from 1988–1999 to 2010–2023. El Niño events showed higher correlations with snow accumulation, snowfall, and temperature during the wet season, indicating a stronger influence on the Pacific sector. The accumulation area was strongly anti-correlated with temperature and correlated with snowfall in both sectors at a 95% confidence level (α = 0.05). The highest correlations with meteorological parameters were observed during the dry season, suggesting that even minor changes in temperature or precipitation could significantly impact the accumulation area. |
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| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-cc121569d83c4cb7a76584ae1cc968d02025-06-25T13:54:22ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632025-06-0115622310.3390/geosciences15060223Annual Variability in the Cordillera Blanca Snow Accumulation Area Between 1988 and 2023 Using a Cloud Processing PlatformJúlia Lopes Lorenz0Kátia Kellem da Rosa1Rafael da Rocha Ribeiro2Rolando Cruz Encarnación3Adina Racoviteanu4Federico Aita5Fernando Luis Hillebrand6Jesus Gomez Lopez7Jefferson Cardia Simões8Centro Polar e Climático, Departamento de Geografia, Instituto de Geociências do Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, BrazilCentro Polar e Climático, Departamento de Geografia, Instituto de Geociências do Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, BrazilCentro Polar e Climático, Departamento de Geografia, Instituto de Geociências do Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, BrazilAutoridad Nacional del Agua, Av. Confraternidad Internacional Oeste No. 167, Independencia, Huaraz 02002, PeruInstitute for Geosciences and Environmental Research (IGE), University Grenoble-Alpes/CNRS/IRD/Grenoble-INP, 38058 Grenoble Cedex 9, FranceCentro Polar e Climático, Departamento de Geografia, Instituto de Geociências do Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, BrazilInstituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), Campus Rolante, Rolante 95690-000, RS, BrazilInstituto Nacional de Investigación en Glaciares y Ecosistemas de Montaña, Av. Centenario 2656—Sector Palmira, Independencia, Huaraz 02002, PeruCentro Polar e Climático, Departamento de Geografia, Instituto de Geociências do Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, BrazilTropical glaciers are highly sensitive to climate change, with their mass balance influenced by temperature and precipitation, which affects the accumulation area. In this study, we developed an open-source tool to map the accumulation area of glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru (1988–2023), using Landsat images, spectral indices, and the Otsu method. We analyzed trends and correlations between snow accumulation area, meteorological patterns from ERA5 data, and oscillation modes. The results were validated using field data and manual mapping. Greater discrepancies were observed in glaciers with debris cover or small clean glaciers (<1 km<sup>2</sup>). The Amazonian and Pacific sectors showed a significant trend in decreasing accumulation areas, with reductions of 8.99% and 10.24%, respectively, from 1988–1999 to 2010–2023. El Niño events showed higher correlations with snow accumulation, snowfall, and temperature during the wet season, indicating a stronger influence on the Pacific sector. The accumulation area was strongly anti-correlated with temperature and correlated with snowfall in both sectors at a 95% confidence level (α = 0.05). The highest correlations with meteorological parameters were observed during the dry season, suggesting that even minor changes in temperature or precipitation could significantly impact the accumulation area.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/6/223El Niño—ENSOglacial faciestropical glaciersclimate changeLandsat |
| spellingShingle | Júlia Lopes Lorenz Kátia Kellem da Rosa Rafael da Rocha Ribeiro Rolando Cruz Encarnación Adina Racoviteanu Federico Aita Fernando Luis Hillebrand Jesus Gomez Lopez Jefferson Cardia Simões Annual Variability in the Cordillera Blanca Snow Accumulation Area Between 1988 and 2023 Using a Cloud Processing Platform Geosciences El Niño—ENSO glacial facies tropical glaciers climate change Landsat |
| title | Annual Variability in the Cordillera Blanca Snow Accumulation Area Between 1988 and 2023 Using a Cloud Processing Platform |
| title_full | Annual Variability in the Cordillera Blanca Snow Accumulation Area Between 1988 and 2023 Using a Cloud Processing Platform |
| title_fullStr | Annual Variability in the Cordillera Blanca Snow Accumulation Area Between 1988 and 2023 Using a Cloud Processing Platform |
| title_full_unstemmed | Annual Variability in the Cordillera Blanca Snow Accumulation Area Between 1988 and 2023 Using a Cloud Processing Platform |
| title_short | Annual Variability in the Cordillera Blanca Snow Accumulation Area Between 1988 and 2023 Using a Cloud Processing Platform |
| title_sort | annual variability in the cordillera blanca snow accumulation area between 1988 and 2023 using a cloud processing platform |
| topic | El Niño—ENSO glacial facies tropical glaciers climate change Landsat |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/15/6/223 |
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