Glacier monitoring advances through AI and satellite technology

Advanced monitoring technologies, including satellite data and artificial intelligence, are being deployed to quantify glacier melting and its impact on water availability and ecosystems. According to the World Glacier Monitoring Service, glaciers outside the major polar ice sheets have lost over 9,000 billion tons of mass since 1975. In Chile, satellite data indicates a loss of more than 340,000 hectares of glacier surface over the last three decades.

In Patagonia, researchers from the University of Concepción recently conducted a field expedition to the Pío XI Glacier. During the mission, which took place in early November 2024, scientists installed ablation beacons and thermal sensors to study the glacier's mass balance and environmental conditions. The Pío XI Glacier is of particular interest because it has exhibited unusual behavior, showing periods of advancement while many other global glaciers experience retreat, though recent studies suggest a deceleration in this movement.