On the Trails of the Glaciers arrives at Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

The Upsala Glacier is Argentina’s second largest. Here, according to Fabiano Ventura and his team, explorer and priest Alberto Maria De Agostini took a series of seven pictures. On the Trails of the Glaciers’ new expedition was in Los Glaciares National Park, from the 2nd to the 10th of March, in order to “photograph” global warming

The Upsala Glacier is Argentina’s second largest. Here, according to Fabiano Ventura and his team, explorer and priest Alberto Maria De Agostini took a series of seven pictures. On the Trails of the Glaciers’ new expedition was in Los Glaciares National Park, from the 2nd to the 10th of March, in order to “photograph” global warming by capturing melting ice.

 

Read all updates of On the Trails of the Glaciers expeditions

“The view of the glacier is breathtaking. The valley is 60 kilomtres long and 5 kilometres wide. The trim line – the signs of erosion on the side of the valley formed by the glacier during the Little Ice Age that are up to 500 metres high – is perfectly visible,” wrote Ventura in his diary.

The trim lime marks the previous height of a glacier and can be recognised, among other things, by the colour of the rocks, as well as the presence or absence of vegetation.

 

After climbing for a few hundreds of metres, Ventura found the exact point where De Agostini took his pictures, eighty years ago. “The view from De Agostini’s spot is awesome,” said Ventura. “Realising how ice disappeared from such a huge valley, though, is disheartening”.

 

The expedition then reached the Ameghino Glacier, where the photography session was characterised by the presence of strong winds. Here, the retreat of the ice is also remarkable: “Where once there was a long, white ice tongue, now there are only rocks and a lagoon 4 kilometre long,” writes Ventura.

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Spegazzini was the last glacier visited on this expedition. Here, vegetation is less thick but weather conditions are harsh. A snowstorm forced the team to take refuge under rocky walls. Despite this, Ventura managed to take his last picture: “I couldn’t leave this place, which we reached with difficulty, without taking any pictures. I’ve dreamed about this shot for years, I couldn’t wait any longer”.

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