Combining 137Cs and soil organic carbon for assessing patterns of soil formation in the rapidly changing proglacial environment of the Grey Glacier (Torres del Paine, Chilean Patagonia)

Abstract

As in other regions of the world, glaciers in South America like in Torres del Paine National Park are shrinking. The trends of increasing temperatures would accelerate melting process that will affect not only populations but also natural resources as water and soil that support life. Recent works in other polar and cold regions have shown the usefulness of combining fallout radionuclides and soil organic carbon (SOC) for tracking recent glacier retreat on glacial formations of proglacial environments.