The search for frozen secrets: How changes in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field can be effectively measured

Frankfurt am Main/Dresden, April 1, 2026 – At the beginning of March 2026, scientists from TUD Dresden University of Technology and the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) in Leipzig returned from a four-week measuring excursion in southern Patagonia (Argentina). They brought back new measurement data that they collected along the eastern edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field all the way to the Atlantic coast, which is expected to provide new insights into the shrinking of the ice masses.

Southern Patagonia is home to the largest ice masses in the Southern Hemisphere outside of Antarctica: the Patagonian Ice Fields. As is the case with glaciers worldwide — and even the continental ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica — the Patagonian Ice Fields are increasingly losing mass due to global warming.

To measure these changes in the ice mass, Mirko Scheinert from the Chair of Geodetic Earth System Research at TU Dresden and Axel Rülke from BKG Leipzig have joined forces to lead a research project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Third measuring excursion a great success

Following the excursions in 2020 and 2022, the third one also brought back promising results in 2026. A short film provides an initial impression of the fieldwork being carried out there. In addition to the scientists André Gebauer and Erik Brachmann (BKG Leipzig) and master’s student Benjamin Göbel (TU Dresden), colleagues from partner institutions in Argentina were also actively involved: Alfredo Pasquare from the Argentine-German Geodetic Observatory (AGGO), which celebrates its 10^th anniversary this year; Andreas Richter (Universidad Nacional de La Plata and TU Dresden); Eric Marderwald (Río Grande Astronomical Station); and Steffen Welsch (El Calafate).

To collect their measurements, the team uses a particularly sensitive method: absolute gravimetry. Axel Rülke explains: “The FG-5 absolute gravimeter used here is capable of detecting extremely small changes in gravity. Gravitational acceleration—around 9.8 m/s²—can be measured to eight decimal places.” The gravity changes recorded over a six-year period at eight locations are also correlated with elevation changes at those same points measured using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems).

By combining these measuring techniques, the researchers aim to better understand the complex geoscientific conditions in the region of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field: Changes in ice mass must be traced from the present back thousands of years to interpret the crustal deformation currently measured by GNSS. The structure of the Earth’s interior in Patagonia plays a pivotal role: the Nazca, South American, and Antarctic tectonic plates converge in this region, creating a unique geological setting.

Analyzing the data from all three excursions (2020, 2022, and 2026) is expected to provide deeper scientific insight into how the Southern Patagonian Ice Field responds to climate change and how it is interacting with the solid Earth.

The research project “Gravimetric determination of the solid Earth’s response to ice mass changes in Southern Patagonia” (GravPatagonia) is funded by the German Research Foundation (grant numbers SCHE 1426/28-1 and RU 2380/1-1).

More about the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG):

As the federal government’s central service provider and a center of expertise for geoinformation and geodetic reference systems, the BKG’s work ranges from observation and data management to the analysis, integration, and provision of geodata. The work of the BKG, as a Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), benefits federal institutions, public administration, business, and science — as well as nearly every citizen in Germany. Experts in fields such as transport, disaster prevention, internal security, energy, and the environment rely on the BKG’s geodata, maps, reference systems, and information services. The BKG operates a service center in Leipzig (www.geodatenzentrum.de
) as well as both national and international geodetic observatories. Further information can be found here: www.bkg.bund.de

Press inquiries at the BKG:                                Press inquiries at TU Dresden:
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Contact:
Dr. Axel Rülke                                                           Dr. Mirko Scheinert
Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy  TU Dresden
Satellite Navigation Department                          Chair of Geodetic Earth System Research
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