Search

The snowpack in the central Andes (30°–37°S) is the primary source for streamflow in central Chile and central-western Argentina, but few published studies are available on snowpack variability in the region. This paper develops the first regional snowpack series (1951–2005) from Chilean and Argentinean snow course records. This series shows a strong regional signal, marked interannual variability, and a positive, though nonsignificant, linear trend. Correlations with local precipitation and temperature records reveal a marked association with conditions in central Chile. High snow accumulation is generally concurrent with El Niño events in the tropical Pacific, but only 5 of the 10 driest years coincided with La Niña events. Evaluation of 500-hPa geopotential height anomaly maps during extreme snow years highlights the crucial significance of tropospheric conditions in the subtropical and southeast Pacific in modulating snowfall. Correlations with gridded SST and SLP data and multiple regressions with large-scale climatic indices corroborate a Pacific ENSO-related influence largely concentrated during the austral winter months. This hampers the predictability of snowpack before the onset of the cold season. Annual and warm-season river discharges on both sides of the cordillera are significantly correlated with the regional snowpack record and show positive linear trends over the 1951–2004 common period, probably related to a greater frequency of above-average snowpacks during recent decades. Future demand and competition for water resources in these highly populated regions will require detailed information about temporal and spatial variations in snow accumulation over the Andes. The results indicate that the relationships between snowpack and atmospheric circulation patterns prior to the winter season are complex, and more detailed analyses are necessary to improve prediction of winter snowfall totals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patagonia, located in southern South America, is a vast and remote region holding a rich variety of past environmental records but a small number of meteorological stations. Precipitation over this region is mostly produced by disturbances embedded in the westerly flow and is strongly modified by the austral Andes. Uplift on the windward side leads to hyperhumid conditions along the Pacific coast and the western slope of the Andes; in contrast, downslope subsidence dries the eastern plains leading to arid, highly evaporative conditions. The authors investigate the dependence of Patagonia's local climate (precipitation and near-surface air temperature) year-to-year variability on large-scale circulation anomalies using results from a 30-yr-long high-resolution numerical simulation. Variations of the low-level zonal wind account for a large fraction of the rainfall variability at synoptic and interannual time scales. Zonal wind also controls the amplitude of the air temperature annual cycle by changing the intensity of the seasonally varying temperature advection. The main modes of year-to-year variability of the zonal flow over southern South America are also investigated. Year round there is a dipole between mid- and high latitudes. The node separating wind anomalies of opposite sign migrates through the seasons, leading to a dipole over Patagonia during austral summer and a monopole during winter. Reanalysis data also suggests that westerly flow has mostly decreased over north-central Patagonia during the last four decades, causing a drying trend to the west of the Andes, but a modest increase is exhibited over the southern tip of the continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrological Sciences Journal/Journal des Sciences Hydrologiques is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)