An update on recent glacier changes in Mexico using Sentinel-2A data

ABSTRACT This study estimated the recent evolution of three glacierized stratovolcanoes – namely Volcán Iztaccíhuatl, Volcán Popocatépetl and Volcán Citlaltépetl – in South-central Mexico using Landsat and Sentinel-2A satellite data acquired between 1973 and 2017. These three glaciers are influenced by various factors such as climate change, volcanic eruption and pollution. Three key climate variables, which control the presence of glacier coverage – air temperature, precipitation and humidity – were also analysed. Among these three volcanoes, only Volcán Iztaccíhuatl and Volcán Citlaltépetl have ice-covered areas since the late 1990s and Volcán Popocatépetl has lost its glaciers due to volcanic eruption, even though the glacier shrinkage has started long before the appearance of eruptive products. An overall glacier area loss of 75% has been observed for the period between 1973 and 2017. Shrinkage of Volcán Citlaltépetl (66%) is comparable with the retreat observed in the tropical Andes of Peru and Bolivia during the same period. Observed trends in the air temperature were not very significant for all the three glaciers studied whereas a substantial rise in relative humidity (+0.11%/year) was observed. Trends in precipitation were different for Citlaltépetl (+7.8 mm/year) and the other two volcano-glaciers (−5.1 mm/year).