Basantes-Serrano R. auteur aut IRD Rabatel A. auteur aut IRD Francou Bernard auteur aut IRD Vincent C. auteur aut IRD Soruco A. auteur aut IRD Condom Thomas auteur aut IRD Ruiz J. C. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access We present a comprehensive study of the evolution of the glaciers on the Antisana ice cap (tropical Andes) over the period 1956-2016. Based on geodetic observations of aerial photographs and high-resolution satellite images, we explore the effects of morpho-topographic and climate variables on glacier volumes. Contrasting behaviour was observed over the whole period, with two periods of strong mass loss, 1956-1964 (-0.72 m w.e. yr(-1)) and 1979-1997 (-0.82 m w.e. yr(-1)), and two periods with slight mass loss, 1965-1978 (0.10 m w.e. yr(-1)) and 1998-2016 (-0.26 m w.e. yr(-1)). There was a 42 % reduction in the total surface area of the ice cap. Individually, glacier responses were modulated by morpho-topographic variables (e.g. maximum and median altitude and surface area), particularly in the case of the small tongues located at low elevations (Glacier 1, 5 and 16) which have been undergoing accelerated disintegration since the 1990s and will likely disappear in the coming years. Moreover, thanks to the availability of aerial data, a surging event was detected on the Antisana Glacier 8 (G8) in the 2009-2011 period; such an event is extremely rare in this region and deserves a dedicated study. Despite the effect of the complex topography, glaciers have reacted in agreement with changes in climate forcing, with a stepwise transition towards warmer and alternating wet-dry conditions since the mid-1970s. Long-term decadal variability is consistent with the warm-cold conditions observed in the Pacific Ocean represented by the Southern Oscillation index. specialized EQUATEUR ANDES ZONE TROPICALE 062 021 064 126 16 11 4659-4677 2022 1994-0416 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010086442 10.5194/tc-16-4659-2022 1994-0416 [F B010086442] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010086442 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2022-12/010086442.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2022-12-09 2025-02-24 fdi:010086442 fre