North Andean Glacier Retreat, A Comprehensive Analysis Using Satelli1te Earth Observation Data

The Andean glaciers are a significant water source for South America, and their considerable reduction in size over recent decades can be attributed to the effects of climate change. The northern Andes glaciers are extraordinary because they are close to the equator line. It makes them topographically dependent since the snow accumulation depends on the low capability of the atmosphere to maintain the temperature at high altitudes. Using earth observation data and the cloud-based platform Google Earth Engine, we performed a pixel-based snow cover estimation from 1986 to 2022 in the Colombian Andes. The results show a general snow-cover retreat of 55%, losing approximately 5308 ha in the last four decades. The snow cover loss is influenced by factors such as the increase in mean atmospheric temperatures. This study remarks on the importance of earth observation data as an essential tool for developing monitoring systems in glacier bodies.