Observed Changes in the Precipitation Regime in the Argentinean Patagonia and Their Geographical Implication

PAULA B MARTIN; VICTORIA A ORUEZABAL; MARIA E CASTAÑEDA

Applied Geomorphology and Contemporary Issues

Springer

Año: 2022; p. 537 - 546

The climate of Argentine Patagonia is characterized by extremely dry air, as a result of low rainfalls and high evaporation rates related to strong winds. Over the last 25 years, the northern Patagonian region has been affected by droughts that have threatened the operation of hydroelectric plants and the supply of drinking and irrigation water, especially in the fruit production areas of the region. However, not many research studies on rainfall variations have been carried out over Patagonia, due to the lack of continuous official records and the low density of meteorological stations in the region. This work aims to study changes in the rainfall regime and existing trends in the Patagonian zone. Monthly rainfall records of 23 meteorological stations in the Argentinean Patagonia from Argentina´s national meteorological service and the Interjurisdictional Authority of the Limay, Neuquén and Negro River Basins for the period of 1980–2016. The Gamma distribution has been used to fit the observed monthly frequency distributions. Fits were tested by the non-parametric Kolmogorov–Smirnov´s test. The shape and scale parameters show seasonal and geographic variation. As the first result of this study, negative trends are shown in the west and central zone.