Satellite images show that many mountains in the famed range, which runs along the continent’s western edge, have either sparse snow or totally bare ground, Reuters reported . Areas of South America’s Andes Mountains range are seeing little to no snow cover at a time when snowfall should be at its highest. Copernicus Sentinel-3, processed By DG DEFIS/Handout via REUTERS A combination of images, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites, shows the snow deficit affecting the Andes mountain range in South America. “Here we are seeing a process of long-term decrease in precipitation, a mega-drought,” Ricardo Villalba of the Argentine Institute of Snow, Glacier and Environment Science Studies told Reuters. A study published in June predicted that droughts and other extreme weather events will become even worse throughout South America if greenhouse gas emissions continue unchecked.

Source: Huffington Post August 07, 2021 18:22 UTC