Monte Perdido
The Monte Perdido Glacier is a small mountain glacier located in the Spanish Pyrenees, within the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park in Aragón, close to the border with France. It lies on the north face of Monte Perdido, the third-highest peak in the Pyrenees at 3,355 meters above sea level. The glacier itself is situated between about 2,700 and 3,200 meters in elevation. Unlike the vast glaciers of Patagonia or the Alps, Monte Perdido’s glacier is modest in scale, covering less than 40 hectares (0.4 km²) in recent surveys, and with an estimated ice thickness that rarely exceeds a few dozen meters.
Despite its small size, Monte Perdido is of great scientific and cultural importance because it is one of the last remaining glaciers in southern Europe. Records show that during the Little Ice Age (16th–19th centuries), the glacier was far larger, but over the last century, it has undergone rapid retreat and thinning. In the early 20th century, the glacier was estimated to cover nearly 90 hectares, more than double its present-day area. The rate of retreat has accelerated in recent decades due to rising summer temperatures, reduced snowfall, and shorter winters. Scientists studying the glacier warn that, if current trends continue, it may disappear entirely within the coming decades.
The Monte Perdido Glacier also serves as a visible indicator of climate change in the Pyrenean region. It represents a critical freshwater reserve in a high-mountain ecosystem where water availability shapes both biodiversity and local communities downstream. Its ongoing retreat is consistent with observations from other small glaciers in the Pyrenees and across southern Europe, all of which are shrinking rapidly. For this reason, Monte Perdido is often highlighted in studies and media reports as a symbol of how vulnerable small alpine glaciers are to global warming, and how their disappearance will reshape mountain landscapes, water cycles, and cultural heritage in the region.