Rapid decline in extratropical Andean snow cover driven by the poleward migration of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies

Cordero, Raul R.; Feron, Sarah; Damiani, Alessandro; MacDonell, Shelley; Carrasco Cerda, Jorge Fernando; Pizarro, Jaime; Karas, Cyrus; Jorquera, Jose; Sepulveda, Edgardo; Cabello, Fernanda; Fernandoy, Francisco; Wang, Chenghao; Khan, Alia L.; Casassa, Gino

doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-78014-0

Rapid decline in extratropical Andean snow cover driven by the poleward migration of the Southern Hemisphere westerlies

Cordero, Raul R.

[1];

Feron, Sarah

[1];

Damiani, Alessandro

[2];

MacDonell, Shelley

[3];

Carrasco Cerda, Jorge Fernando

[4];

Pizarro, Jaime

[1];

Karas, Cyrus

[1];

Jorquera, Jose

[1];

Sepulveda, Edgardo

[1];

Cabello, Fernanda

[1];

Fernandoy, Francisco

[5];

Wang, Chenghao

[6];

Khan, Alia L.

[7];

Casassa, Gino

[8]

¹
Universidad de Santiago de Chile
²
National Institute for Environmental Studies - Japan
³
Ctr Estudios Avanzados Zonas Aridas CEAZA
⁴
Centro de Investigación Gaia Antártica
⁵
Universidad Andres Bello
⁶
University of Oklahoma System
⁷
Western Washington University
⁸
Universidad de Magallanes

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-78014-0

Date Issued

2024-11-11

Type

Artículo

Journal

Scientific Reports

ISSN

2045-2322

Open Access

gold

Volume

14

Links

https://arca.umag.cl/handle/123456789/15555

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 degrees 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).

snow

andes

climate change

Name

s41598-024-78014-0.pdf

Size

6.16 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum

(MD5):5d59b8d2a555ace4a17dac8795649728