{"id":8770,"date":"2026-04-09T04:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T04:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/godshand.link\/ground_post\/snow-in-the-shadow-of-the-andes\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T04:01:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T04:01:00","slug":"snow-in-the-shadow-of-the-andes","status":"publish","type":"ground_post","link":"https:\/\/godshand.link\/en_gb\/ground_post\/snow-in-the-shadow-of-the-andes\/","title":{"rendered":"Snow in the Shadow of the Andes"},"content":{"rendered":"


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On the eastern, arid side of the Andes, the plains of southern Argentina stretch from the mountains to the Atlantic coast. The landscape often appears dry and brown, interrupted by colorful glacier-fed lakes<\/a>, but a storm in early April 2026 blanketed swaths of the land in white. The\u00a0MODIS<\/a>\u00a0(Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA\u2019s\u00a0Terra<\/a>\u00a0satellite captured this image of the snowy Patagonian Desert on the morning of April 3.<\/p>\n

Early fall has been wetter than normal in southern Patagonia, said atmospheric scientist\u00a0Ren\u00e9 Garreaud<\/a>\u00a0of the Universidad de Chile, noting that satellite-based estimates<\/a> showed above-average precipitation from late March through early April. Much of the region\u2019s precipitation tends to fall on the western, windward side<\/a> of the Andes, he said. \u201cBut strong winds are capable of blowing some snow east into the Argentinian side, as beautifully reflected in the MODIS image.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snow clings to the higher elevations<\/a>, while valleys draining the large glacial lakes are bare. In this detailed Landsat image, a stark snow line appears along the outlet of Lago Argentino. Also note the color of the water. Lago Argentino and other nearby lakes contain an abundance of fine sediment, or glacial flour<\/a>, pulverized by southern Patagonia\u2019s plentiful glaciers<\/a>. This suspended sediment<\/a> makes the lakes appear milky blue or turquoise.<\/p>\n

Though snow was widespread across the desert after the early-season storm, the wintry splendor was fleeting. A satellite view from the afternoon<\/a> of April 4 showed that snow had melted from all but the highest mountain areas.<\/p>\n

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA\u00a0EOSDIS LANCE<\/a> and\u00a0GIBS\/Worldview<\/a>, and Landsat data from the\u00a0U.S. Geological Survey<\/a>. Story by Lindsey Doermann.<\/em><\/p>\n