Recent and Historic Andean Snowpack and Streamflow Variations and Vulnerability to Water Shortages in Central-Western Argentina.

MASIOKAS, M.H.; VILLALBA, R.; LUCKMAN, B.H.; MONTAÑA, E.; BETMAN, E.; CHRISTIE, D.; LE QUESNE, C.; MAUGET, S.

Climate Vulnerability: Understanding and Addressing Threats to Essential Resources

Elsevier

Año: 2013; p. 213 - 227

The accumulation of snow during winter and its subsequent melting during warmer months provide most of the water needed for thehuman populations located along the semiarid western and eastern slopes of the Andes in central Chile and central-western Argentina. Thesocieties in these regions can be characterized as ?hydraulic societies,? as social tissues are strongly associated with intensive use of waterresources that historically have been adapted to ?control? a hostile natural environment. This chapter first discusses various empirical analysesof snowpack and streamflow records that demonstrate (1) the dominant influence of snowmelt on the hydrologic regimes of the main riversof the region, (2) the impressive similarities in these records at interannual and interdecadal timescales, and (3) the strong relationships thatexist with El Niño?Southern Oscillation (ENSO) features in the tropical Pacific. The authors also use the snowpack and streamflow recordsavailable to identify the most severe dry and wet periods in this portion of the Andes over the past 100 years. Two recently developedsnowpack reconstructions that extend the instrumental records for several centuries are subsequently discussed in an attempt to provideevidence that may help assess the recent patterns observed in the instrumental records in a long-term perspective. This evidence may also beused to test the time stability of the relationships with large-scale ocean?atmosphere features and to validate the results from global and localmodeling exercises intended to project future hydroclimatic changes in this region. The final discussion is on the inherent vulnerabilitiesassociated with the scarce water resources of the inhabitants of the Río Mendoza Basin in Argentina. This exercise allows an interestinganalysis to better understand the historic, current, and possibly future socioeconomic situation of the different players of this hydraulicsociety. Comprehensive assessments integrating results from natural and social studies are suggested as an innovative approach to anticipatefuture vulnerabilities to water shortages and to develop adaptation strategies toward resilience.