Global warming and shifting climate patterns exert a devastating influence on our natural environment. Recent reports from the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) confirm that Cartenz Mountain’s snow, located in West Papua, is rapidly melting. This “eternal” ice now faces a critical tipping point as rising temperatures transform the landscape.
The Impact of El Niño on Glacial Retreat
The current El Niño phenomenon significantly worsens these conditions by triggering extreme droughts and intense heat across Indonesia. When El Niño takes hold, it extends the dry season and pushes temperatures to record highs. Experts fear that this weather pattern will accelerate the disappearance of the remaining Cartenz Mountain’s snow faster than previously predicted.
Scientific Findings on the Shrinking Ice
Rigorous paleoclimate research, conducted by BMKG in collaboration with Ohio State University, highlights a massive annual reduction in glacier volume. Their analysis of ice cores shows a relentless decline between 2015 and 2022. During this window, the thickness of Cartenz Mountain’s snow vanished at a rate of 2.5 meters per year, leaving only an estimated 6 meters of ice by late 2022.
Historical Comparison of West Papua’s Frozen Summits
The statistical shift over the last decade paints a grim picture for the region. In 2010, researchers measured the ice thickness at a substantial 32 meters. However, as global climate change intensified, the melt rate stabilized at one meter per year until the strong El Niño of 2015. That specific event caused Cartenz Mountain’s snow to recede by a staggering five meters in a single year.
Ecological Risks of Losing the Eternal Snow
“The El Niño phenomenon in 2023 has the potential to accelerate the extinction of the ice cover,” warns Dwikorita Karnawati, Head of BMKG. As the area of Cartenz Mountain’s snow shrank from 0.27 km2 in 2021 to just 0.23 km2 in 2022, the local biological balance moved closer to collapse. The loss of these glaciers threatens regional ecosystems and disrupts the delicate environmental harmony that has existed for centuries.
