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Glacier 15, Antisana, Ecuador: its glaciology and relations to water resources.

Abstract:

Besides the Lewis glacier in Kenya, Glacier 15 of Antisana, Ecuador (5760-4830 m, 0.28 km2) is the only one which provides regular information regarding glacier mass balance near to the Equator (Annual Report of the World Services for the Monitoring of Glaciers, WGMS 2005) to the scientific community. The surface of the glacier had been re-constructed using aerial-photogrammetry from 1956 to 1997. Since 1994, direct measurements have been taken over the terminal zone at the glacier tongue using topography. That process has shown the changes at the glacier limits and has determined the superficial speed at the terminal zone of the tongue (ablation zone). At the ablation zone (<5100 m) a wide net of stakes have been installed in order to measure the evolution of the glacier mass each month since 1995. In addition, holes to measure accumulation have been dug in the ablation zone at the end of the …