Venezuela is the first post-glacial state in the Andes, as the last significant piece of ice is now considered too small to flow under its own weight.

The Humboldt Glacier in Venezuela has completely disappeared; This represents a significant environmental change as it was the last glacier in the country to be historically covered by such ice formations. Satellite images from 2015 to 2024 document this decline and show that the glacier area has decreased from approximately 0.1 square kilometers to almost zero. This loss reflects a broader pattern of decline of tropical glaciers around the world, worsened by rising global temperatures.

death of the glacier

The Humboldt Glacier in Venezuela is dead. This loss was the final blow to our planet’s tropical glaciers, which are shrinking and disappearing as temperatures rise.

This pair of images shows the change in ice area on the glacier between 2015 (top) and 2024 (bottom). The images were acquired by OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 and OLI-2 on Landsat 9, respectively. Both images show the region at the end of the dry season to minimize the impact of seasonal snowdrifts on the remaining ice.

The Humboldt Glacier has long been located high in the Sierra Nevada de Mérida, a mountain range in the northern part of the Andes Mountains in South America. In 2015, scientists estimated that this glacier covered an area of ​​approximately 0.1 square kilometers (25 acres). By 2024, the ice area has shrunk by about a tenth. Although there is no universally accepted criterion for the size of a glacier, scientists generally agree that an ice field of this size is stagnant, meaning that it is too small to flow downward under the pressure of its own weight. According to this definition, Venezuela is now free of glaciers.

Humboldt’s longevity and decline

Humboldt has been Venezuela’s last glacier since 2009, following the loss of other glaciers on nearby peaks. Despite being close to the equator, the glacier has lasted this long partly due to its altitude. Tropical glaciers – Region of the Earth between latitudes approximately 30° North extending to the equator. and 30°S., — occurs due to the cold snowy climate at high altitudes.

The Humboldt Glacier clung to the escarpment and saddle at the foot of Pico Humboldt, very close to Pico Bolivar, the highest peak in the country. Topography may also have played a role in its relative longevity. Surrounded by extremely steep slopes, the Humboldt Ice Sheet had a slightly gentler slope during past cold conditions where snow could accumulate and turn into glacier ice.

Wider impact on tropical glaciers

However, elevation and topography are not enough for a glacier to survive forever. Data from satellite and aerial photographs, ground observations, and historical sources indicate that the Humboldt Glacier has long since melted. In 1910 it covered an area of ​​3 square kilometers and now covers approximately 0.01 square kilometers; This makes Venezuela the first post-glacial state in the Andes.

Glaciers in other tropical regions show a similar response to warming. For example, Kilimanjaro glaciers in Tanzania and Punchak Jaya glaciers in Indonesia have turned into stagnant ice fields. Satellites remain an important tool for scientists to map these changes and study landscape and ecosystem responses.