Variaciones recientes del lóbulo Zapata Sur, Glaciar Tyndall: Campo de Hielo Patagónico Sur (Chile)

Abstract

A working group of CEQUA and Dirección de Programas Antarticos (DPA) of Universidad de Magallanes, has made several glaciological campaigns in a sector of Tyndall glacier called Zapata Sur lobe. Recent variations of this sector could be associated to the climatic change detected in the region. Results obtained since March of 2003 are reported. Ice thickness measurements with a radio-echo sounding system show thicknesses between 63m, near the East present margin of the ice, and 617m towards the center of glacier, at a distance of 2.5km to the East margin. GPS measurements made in 5 ablation stakes show an average ice thinning of 2.63m, between March 2002 and November 2003. In the surroundings of the East ice margin a surface speed of 1 8 m a-1 was detected, in a sector located approximately at 3km to the West of the ice margin the speed of the surface ice flow is of the order of 2 70 m a-1