Forests, grasslands, deserts, and mountains are all part of the Patagonian landscape, which spans more than a million square kilometers of South America. Toward the western side, expanses of dense, compacted ice—the Patagonian icefields—stretch for hundreds of kilometers atop the Andes mountain range in Chile and Argentina.
The northern and southern lobes of the Patagonian icefield are what’s left of a much larger ice sheet that reached its maximum size about 18,000 years ago. Though just a fraction of their previous size, the modern icefields remain the largest expanse of ice in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica. But rapid change is ongoing. “They are, in fact, melting away at some of the highest rates on the planet,” said Eric Rignot, a glaciologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of California-Irvine.
Meltwater from the Patagonian icefield contributes to sea level rise. The contribution is less than what will come from Greenland and Antarctica, but scientists plan to keep studying the region from space, from the air, and from the ground. According to Rignot: “Understanding the evolution of these glaciers helps us understand what glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica may look like in the future in a much warmer climate.”
The images below highlight this dynamic region. Click on the links for even more insight about each icefield and its glaciers.
Icefields
North Patagonian Icefield
The northern remnant is the smaller of the two icefields, covering about 4,000 square kilometers. It has 30 significant glaciers along its perimeter, including San Rafael and San QuintÍn.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey
South Patagonian Icefield
The southern icefield spans about 13,000 square kilometers, more than three times larger than the northern section. Iceberg-choked fjords and glaciers that flow along the flank of an active volcano are just a few of the highlights.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Ice on the Move
Ice is moving at vastly different speeds across Patagonia, from a few centimeters to 10,000 meters per year. In this map, yellow areas are moving fast and purple areas are slow. Notice the significant amount of green; almost half of the ice is moving at speeds faster than 100 meters per year.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using data courtesy of Mouginot, J., & Rignot, E. (2015).
Other Images of Patagonia
Glacial Retreat at a Non-glacial Pace
The HPS-12 glacier in Chile has lost about half of its length in three decades.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Retreat of the Sierra de Sangra Glaciers
Ice loss in Patagonia has struck more than just the largest and most frequently studied ice fields.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Glaciar San QuintÍn, Chile
The largest outflow glacier in the Northern Patagonian Icefield appears to be shrinking. Read more...
NASA image from ISERV Pathfinder, SERVIR program.
Southern Patagonia Ice Field
Straddling the southern Andes Mountains in Chile and Argentina, these glaciers have thinned significantly in the past four decades.
Astronaut photograph ISS038-E-47324 was acquired on February 13, 2014, with a Nikon D3S digital camera using a 65 millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 38 crew. It has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
Upsala Glacier Retreat
A photograph by an astronaut on the International Space Station shows a progressively shrinking glacier in the North Patagonian Icefield.
Astronaut photograph ISS037-E-5104 was acquired on October 2, 2013, with a Nikon D3 digital camera using a 300 millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 37 crew. It has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
One of the most famous glaciers in Patagonia periodically cuts off the major southern arm of Lago Argentino.
Astronaut photograph ISS030-E-91253 was acquired on February 21, 2012, with a Nikon D2Xs digital camera using a 180 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 30 crew. It has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
Glacial Lakes of Patagonia
This natural-color image shows multicolored glacial lakes extending from Andean glaciers. The lakes extend primarily eastward across the high plain.
NASA images courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.
Upsala Glacier, Argentina
Upsala Glacier in the Southern Patagonian Icefield calves icebergs into Lake Argentina in this astronaut photo from October 25, 2009.
Astronaut photograph ISS021-E-15243 was acquired on October 25, 2009, with a Nikon D2Xs digital camera fitted with a 400 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 21 crew. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
Glacier Outlet, Southern Patagonian Ice Field, Chile
This astronaut photograph shows the merged outlet of two glaciers within the deep fjords of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
Astronaut photograph ISS020-E-39083 was acquired on September 6, 2009, with a Nikon D3 digital camera fitted with an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 20 crew. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
Mosaic of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field
Outside of Antarctica, the largest contiguous ice field in the Southern Hemisphere is the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in the Andes Mountains of Chile and Argentina.
This image is a mosaic of two digital photographs (ISS004-ESC-6737 and ISS004-ESC-6738) taken by astronauts onboard the International Space Station in January 2002. Images were provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center.
Northern Patagonian Ice Field, Chile
The Northern Patagonian Ice Field is the smaller of two remnant ice masses crowning the Andes Mountains of lower South America.
Image STS108-722-60 was provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center.
NASA Earth Observatory text by Kathryn Hansen and design by Jesse Allen.
