File:San Quintín Glacier in Chile.jpg

English: This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 16 March 2021, shows the terminal part of the San Quintín Glacier in Chile, which has been in rapid retreat for the past 30 years due to the effects of climate change. The San Quintín Glacier is located in the Laguna San Rafael National Park, which hosts the second largest contiguous ice sheet outside polar regions. Until 1991 it advanced over the surrounding vegetation-covered land, but it has since begun to retreat and melt, forming a proglacial lake at its terminus. According to Mauri Pelto, Professor of Environmental Science at Nichols College in Massachusetts, the San Quintín Glacier Lake may be the fastest growing lake of the 21st century in South America. Meltwater from retreating glaciers such as the San Quintín Glacier contributes to rising sea levels. In 2020, the Copernicus Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite was launched into orbit with the mission of accurately measuring the height of the sea surface until at least 2030. The open data it delivers will improve our knowledge and understanding of the sea level rise as a consequence of climate change.