As an impact of global warming, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in Chile, South America has seen an significant increase in the melting rate of the glaciers in recent years.

The Southern Patagonian Ice Field lies between Chile and Argentina at the Southern Patagonian Andes. It is the second largest contiguous extra-polar ice field in the Southern Hemisphere with a total area of about 17,000 square kilometers. It used to be a part of the Patagonian Ice Sheet, which was a large, elongated mountain ice mass that developed over the Andes mountains of southern South America during cold periods. The Patagonian Ice Sheet has advanced and retreated at least five times in the last million years in response to global climate changes.

Due to the impact of global warming, the average temperature in Chile has increased year by year over the past decade, and the melting rate of glaciers on the Southern Patagonian Ice Field has accelerated significantly.

"This winter will be the hottest winter ever recorded in Chile in terms of temperature," a staff of the Chile Meteorological Administration told a CMG reporter.

According to the latest data from Chile's General Water Department (DGA), as of 2022, there were 26,169 glaciers in the country, covering an area of 21,012.2 square kilometers. Compared with 2014, the area of the glaciers had retreated by eight percent in 2022.

The CMG reporter also went to Parque nacional Torres del Paine, a national park located in southern Chile on the glacier. Although it is winter in the southern hemisphere, the glaciers are still melting and the water even accumulates into a small waterfall. A local tour guide told the reporter that he believed man-caused forest fires somewhat accelerate the melting. In recent years, there have been a number of forest fires caused by tourists in the national park, destroying more than 17,606 hectares of the woodland.

Doctor Ricardo Rozzi, a professor of the University of Magallanes, predicts that in this century, people may witness the disappearance of the entire Patagonian Ice Field.

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