Pico de Orizaba glacier faces rapid melting and potential disappearance

The Jamapa Glacier on Mexico’s Pico de Orizaba is facing rapid depletion and potential disappearance within the next decade. A study by the Universidad Veracruzana (UV) revealed that between 2015 and 2025, the northern glacier lost an average thickness of three meters, with some areas losing up to seven meters. This loss represents approximately 1.4 million cubic meters of ice.

Data indicates the glacier's surface area has shrunk significantly, decreasing from 0.46 square kilometers in 2019 to 0.37 square kilometers in 2024. The glacier's front also retreated about 200 meters between 2019 and 2026. Scientists note that the glacier is approaching a critical equilibrium point near 5,000 meters in altitude, which may lead to its total disappearance in less than ten years.

In response to this environmental shift, the project ‘Cartas al glaciar Jamapa’ has been launched to document the cultural and social impact of the glacier's loss. The initiative seeks to collect messages, videos, and audio from mountaineers, researchers, and local communities to highlight that the current generation may be the last to witness the ice body.