Critical Physical Geography of Glacial Hazards in Chilean Patagonia

Keywords: Critical Physical Geography, CPG, Glaciers, Hazards, Chile, Cryosphere, GLOF
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Glaciology as a scientific discipline has been historically reliant on positivist approaches, which have contributed to a deep understanding of glacial dynamics, geomorphology, and projected response to climate change. However, less is understood about the correlative social impacts, including glacial hazards and efforts to mitigate these hazards. This exploratory study uses a critical physical geography (CPG) lens to inform future directions for glacier research and understand the social production of landscapes and glacier hazards in southern Chile. A CPG framing elucidates and strengthens the connection between glacier research with the local populations that are most directly affected by the knowledge produced. Attending to the knowledge politics of glacier science and the social production of disasters uncovers the profoundly social production of glacial hazards and contributes to a more grounded understanding of the dynamics at play.