Bibliographie complète
Groundwater Buffers Decreasing Glacier Melt in an Andean Watershed—But Not Forever
Type de ressource
Auteurs/contributeurs
- Somers, Lauren D. (Auteur)
- McKenzie, Jeffrey M. (Auteur)
- Mark, Bryan G. (Auteur)
- Lagos, Pablo (Auteur)
- Ng, Gene‐Hua Crystal (Auteur)
- Wickert, Andrew D. (Auteur)
- Yarleque, Christian (Auteur)
- Baraër, Michel (Auteur)
- Silva, Yamina (Auteur)
Titre
Groundwater Buffers Decreasing Glacier Melt in an Andean Watershed—But Not Forever
Résumé
Abstract
Accelerating mountain glacier recession in a warming climate threatens the sustainability of mountain water resources. The extent to which groundwater will provide resilience to these water resources is unknown, in part due to a lack of data and poorly understood interactions between groundwater and surface water. Here we address this knowledge gap by linking climate, glaciers, surface water, and groundwater into an integrated model of the Shullcas Watershed, Peru, in the tropical Andes, the region experiencing the most rapid mountain‐glacier retreat on Earth. For a range of climate scenarios, our model projects that glaciers will disappear by 2100. The loss of glacial meltwater will be buffered by relatively consistent groundwater discharge, which only receives minor recharge (~2%) from glacier melt. However, increasing temperature and associated evapotranspiration, alongside potential decreases in precipitation, will decrease groundwater recharge and streamflow, particularly for the RCP 8.5 emission scenario.
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Plain Language Summary
Mountain regions play an important role in water supply, because meltwater from snow and ice feeds rivers during dry periods. Groundwater (water stored in the pore spaces of soils and rock), which flows into rivers, is also an important store of water in mountain areas and may help to protect water resources against the negative impacts of shrinking mountain glaciers. We used extensive field measurements and computer modeling of the Shullcas Watershed in the Peruvian Andes to determine the current and future role of groundwater in the face of climate change. Our model projects that glaciers in our study area will disappear by 2100. The loss of glacier meltwater is buffered in the short term (~30 years) by consistent groundwater flow to rivers. However, in the long term (>60 years), precipitation is expected to decrease and rising temperatures lead to increased evaporation and water use by plants. These factors reduce groundwater recharge and storage, causing dry season streamflow to drop.
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Key Points
Groundwater accounts for a large fraction of streamflow and only receives minor (~2%) recharge from glaciers in the study catchment in Peru
As meltwater decreases, groundwater provides consistent discharge in the near term (~30 years), becoming a larger fraction of streamflow
In the long term (>60 years), groundwater storage and discharge decrease in response to higher evapotranspiration and lower precipitation
Publication
Geophysical Research Letters
Volume
46
Numéro
22
Pages
13016-13026
Date
2019-11-28
Abrév. de revue
Geophysical Research Letters
Langue
en
ISSN
0094-8276, 1944-8007
Consulté le
2024-06-24 00 h 39
Catalogue de bibl.
DOI.org (Crossref)
Référence
Somers, L. D., McKenzie, J. M., Mark, B. G., Lagos, P., Ng, G. C., Wickert, A. D., Yarleque, C., Baraër, M., & Silva, Y. (2019). Groundwater Buffers Decreasing Glacier Melt in an Andean Watershed—But Not Forever. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(22), 13016–13026. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL084730
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