OMM Redaksiyası
Indonesia’s last remaining tropical glaciers on Papua’s Sudirman Range could disappear completely within the next year or two, according to the BBC.
The mountains, located about 450km south of the equator, were covered by snow and permanent ice on all four major peaks a century ago. Today, only small patches remain around Puncak Jaya, also known as Carstensz Pyramid.
Glacier coverage around the peak has fallen from nearly 1,900 hectares in the 19th century to about 16 hectares today. Danish researcher Klaus Thymann said the glaciated area had receded by 95% between the early 2000s and 2025.
Climate record disappearing
Scientists say the retreat is being driven by a warming atmosphere linked to human activity and fossil-fuel use. Rising temperatures push the freezing level higher, causing more precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow.
El Niño events can accelerate the loss, while cloud cover, snowfall and the mountains’ topography also affect the glaciers’ survival.
Ice cores taken from Puncak Jaya contain information about past atmospheric conditions and climate changes in the tropical Pacific and the Western Pacific Warm Pool. Researchers fear this archive will disappear before it can be fully studied.
Czech glacier ecologist Marie Šabacká, who visited Puncak Jaya last March, described Papua’s glaciers as unique because they are thousands of kilometres from other glacier systems. They are considered the last remaining tropical ice between the Andes and the Himalayas.
A sacred landscape for Indigenous communities
The mountain has deep spiritual significance for at least five Indigenous groups. The Moni people call it Mbainggela and believe their ancestors watch over the mountain. The Amungme refer to the range as Nemangkawi, or the “White Arrow”.
Amungme activist Adolfina Kum compared the mountain’s importance to Mecca for Muslims or the Vatican for Catholics, saying the melting ice threatened traditions and cultural foundations.
For many Indigenous Papuans, the glacier’s disappearance is part of broader changes to the region. Mining projects, including the Grasberg operation, have brought jobs, roads, education and economic opportunities, but communities also report environmental degradation, social conflict and loss of access to ancestral lands.
Freeport, which operates the Grasberg mine, was approached for comment, according to the BBC.
Scientists document the remaining ice
Researchers and explorers are using drones and three-dimensional mapping to record what remains of the glaciers. Thymann said there was now “almost no ice left”, adding that glaciers are powerful indicators of climate change.
Šabacká said the retreat represents more than the loss of ice, removing both a biological habitat and part of a culturally significant landscape.
