Rapid decline in extratropical Andean snow cover driven by the poleward migration of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies
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Fecha
2024-12
Profesor/a Guía
Facultad/escuela
Idioma
en_US
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
Nature Research
Nombre de Curso
Licencia CC
Licencia CC
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es
Resumen
Seasonal snow in the extratropical Andes is a primary water source for major rivers supplying water for drinking, agriculture, and hydroelectric power in Central Chile. Here, we used estimates from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to analyze changes in snow cover extent over the period 2001–2022 in a total of 18 watersheds spanning approximately 1,100 km across the Chilean Andes (27–36°S). We found that the annual snow cover extent is receding in the watersheds analyzed at an average pace of approximately 19% per decade. These alarming trends have impacted meltwater runoff, resulting in historically low river streamflows during the dry season. We examined streamflow records dating back to the early 1980s for 10 major rivers within our study area. Further comparisons with large-scale climate modes suggest that the detected decreasing trends in snow cover extent are likely driven by the poleward migration of the westerly winds associated with a positive trend in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM).
Notas
Indexación (Scopus)
Palabras clave
Andes, Climate Change, Snow
Citación
Scientific Reports Volume 14, Issue 1 December 2024 Article number 26365
DOI
10.1007/s12187-024-10174-x