Metadata

Station or cluster: Contributing Station
WMO ID (if any):
Shape: polygon
Latitude, longitude: -39.94, -72.02
Altitude and/or range (m): 1340-2420
Landscape: Coastal
Year established: 2003
Year-round? Yes
Operations contact: José Luis RodrÃguez
Science contact: Gino Casassa
Data contact: Gino Casassa
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Mocho-Choshuenco Volcano
Contributing Station Information

The Mocho-Choshuenco Volcano, located at 40ºS in the Lake District of Chile, has two different cones, Mocho and Choshuenco. The volcano last erupted in 1864 but is geologically active, being close to the major Liquiñe-Ofqui fault. Most of the summit zone of both cones is covered by a glacier area of 16.9 km² in total. As is the case for most Andean glaciers, Mocho-Choshuenco's glaciers have retreated in the last decades.
The south-eastern side of the Mocho-Choshuenco Volcano is covered by a 5.1 km² glacier which occupies a large caldera. With the collaboration of Huilo-Huilo Foundation a mass balance monitoring programme was started on this glacier in May 2003. The traditional stake method (12 stakes) is employed for monitoring the mass balance, distributed from an elevation of 1723 m a.s.l. to 2416 m a.s.l., a few metres below the summit. 2 AWSs and an automatic river gage station have been deployed.
High precipitation (5 m to 15 m of snow) is deposited during the winter on the glacier, originating from the westerly circulation. The summer is much drier, with relevant ablation due to high temperatures and solar radiation. A high interannual variability in mass balance has been detected. The glacier is temperate, with the presence of a water table at a depth of 5-10 m. Glacier-volcanic effects are potentially very relevant. Detailed glacier thickness data have allowed to model lahar risks.

Other Networks to Which This Contributing Station Belongs

The Mocho-Choshuenco glacier monitoring programme is part of Chile's General Water Directorate (DGA) network, Tier 2 (pilot glacier).

Measurement Methods Used

UNESCO

Data Information

Are the data quality controlled? yes
How are the data accessible? other
Data availability (may depend on the variable measured): delayed less than one year

Publications

Bown, F., A. Rivera, C. Acuña & G. Casassa. 2007. Recent glacier mass balance calculations at Volcán Mocho-Choshuenco (40ºS), Chilean Lake District. IAHS Publ. 318, 143-152.
Rivera A., Bown F., Casassa G., Acuña C., Clavero J. 2005. Glacier shrinkage and negative mass balance in the Chilean Lake District (40°S). Hydrological Sciences Journal 50(6): 963-974.
Rivera, A., F. Bown, R. Mella, J. Wendt, G. Casassa, C. Acuña, E. Rignot, J. Clavero, B. Brock. 2006. Ice volumetric changes on active volcanoes in southern Chile. Annals of Glaciology, 43, 111-122.
Santibañez, P., S. Kohshima, R. Scheihing, J. Jaramillo, T. Shiraiwa, S. Matoba, H. Kanda, P. Labarca & G. Casassa. 2008. Glacier mass balance interpreted from biological analyses of firn cores in the Chilean Lake District. Journal of Glaciology, 54(186), 452-462.
Santibáñez, P.A., S. Kohshima, R. Scheihing, R. Silva, J.I. Jaramillo, P.J. Labarca and G. Casassa. 2011. First Record of Testate Amoebae on Glaciers and Description of a New Species Puytoracia jenswendti nov. sp. (Rhizaria, Euglyphida). Acta Protozool. 50, 1-14.

Measurements

The measurements made at Mocho-Choshuenco Volcano are listed in the following tables. (Note: If End Year is blank, measurements are ongoing.)

Cryosphere Measurements

Element	Variable	Start Year	End Year	Frequency
Glacier	Accumulation	2003		Continuous
Glacier	Annual mass balance	2003		Continuous
Glacier	Area	1976		Sporadic
Glacier	Winter mass balance	2003		Continuous
Glacier	Glacial discharge	2014		Continuous
Glacier	Velocity	2004		Sporadic
Glacier	Surface topography	1961		Sporadic
Glacier	Facies, snowline	2003		Continuous
Glacier	Surface temperature	2003		Continuous
Glacier	Surface albedo	2006	2006	Fragmented
Glacier	Ice/firn temperature	2003		Sporadic

Atmosphere Measurements

Element	Variable	Start Year	Frequency
Met	Air temperature	2006
Met	Wind speed and direction	2006
Radiation	Downwelling shortwave	2006	Continuous
Radiation	Upwelling shortwave	2006	Continuous
Radiation	Downwelling longwave	2006	Continuous
Radiation	Upwelling longwave	2006	Continuous

Measurement Notes and Other Measurements

Category	Description or List
Glacier	10 m firn cores have been collected at an elevation of 2000 m and 2420 m, characterizing the chemistry and biology.
Atmosphere	Net short wave and long wave net radiometer (Kipp & Zonen NR Lite). Downwelling short wave radiation (Kipp & Zonen SP Lite).
Hydrology	Water level measurements with a pressure gage and data logger in an eastern stream originated at the glacier, altitude 1340 m. Several runoff measurements allow to convert water level to runoff.
Other	Two seismic stations exist at 1600 and 1900 m elevation, operated by Chile's Geological Survey, for monitoring volcanic activity, connected in real time as part of an early warning system.

Last updated: 18 March 2021