Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes
Abstract The snow and glaciers of the Peruvian Andes provide vital water supplies in a region facing water scarcity and substantial glacier change. However, there remains a lack of understanding of snow processes and quantification of the contribution of melt to runoff. Here we apply a distributed g...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x |
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| author | Catriona L. Fyffe Emily Potter Evan Miles Thomas E. Shaw Michael McCarthy Andrew Orr Edwin Loarte Katy Medina Simone Fatichi Rob Hellström Michel Baraer Emilio Mateo Alejo Cochachin Matthew Westoby Francesca Pellicciotti |
| author_facet | Catriona L. Fyffe Emily Potter Evan Miles Thomas E. Shaw Michael McCarthy Andrew Orr Edwin Loarte Katy Medina Simone Fatichi Rob Hellström Michel Baraer Emilio Mateo Alejo Cochachin Matthew Westoby Francesca Pellicciotti |
| author_sort | Catriona L. Fyffe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The snow and glaciers of the Peruvian Andes provide vital water supplies in a region facing water scarcity and substantial glacier change. However, there remains a lack of understanding of snow processes and quantification of the contribution of melt to runoff. Here we apply a distributed glacio-hydrological model over the Rio Santa basin to disentangle the role of the cryosphere in the Andean water cycle. Only at the highest elevations (>5000 m a.s.l.) is the snow cover continuous; at lower elevations, the snowpack is thin and ephemeral, with rapid cycles of snowfall and melt. Due to the large catchment area affected by ephemeral snow, its contribution to catchment inputs is substantial (23% and 38% in the wet and dry season, respectively). Ice melt is crucial in the mid-dry season (up to 44% of inputs). Our results improve estimates of water fluxes and call for further process-based modelling across the Andes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8d8a7c71a8e94393a361595fc626df3b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-8d8a7c71a8e94393a361595fc626df3b2025-08-20T02:30:59ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-06-016111210.1038/s43247-025-02379-xThin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian AndesCatriona L. Fyffe0Emily Potter1Evan Miles2Thomas E. Shaw3Michael McCarthy4Andrew Orr5Edwin Loarte6Katy Medina7Simone Fatichi8Rob Hellström9Michel Baraer10Emilio Mateo11Alejo Cochachin12Matthew Westoby13Francesca Pellicciotti14Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria UniversityDepartment of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of InnsbruckSwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLEarth Science, Institute of Science and Technology AustriaEarth Science, Institute of Science and Technology AustriaBritish Antarctic SurveyUniversidad Nacional Santiago Antúnez de MayoloUniversidad Nacional Santiago Antúnez de MayoloDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of SingaporeBridgewater State UniversityÉcole de Technologie Supérieure, Université du QuébecPacific InstituteAutoridad Nacional del AguaSchool of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of PlymouthEarth Science, Institute of Science and Technology AustriaAbstract The snow and glaciers of the Peruvian Andes provide vital water supplies in a region facing water scarcity and substantial glacier change. However, there remains a lack of understanding of snow processes and quantification of the contribution of melt to runoff. Here we apply a distributed glacio-hydrological model over the Rio Santa basin to disentangle the role of the cryosphere in the Andean water cycle. Only at the highest elevations (>5000 m a.s.l.) is the snow cover continuous; at lower elevations, the snowpack is thin and ephemeral, with rapid cycles of snowfall and melt. Due to the large catchment area affected by ephemeral snow, its contribution to catchment inputs is substantial (23% and 38% in the wet and dry season, respectively). Ice melt is crucial in the mid-dry season (up to 44% of inputs). Our results improve estimates of water fluxes and call for further process-based modelling across the Andes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x |
| spellingShingle | Catriona L. Fyffe Emily Potter Evan Miles Thomas E. Shaw Michael McCarthy Andrew Orr Edwin Loarte Katy Medina Simone Fatichi Rob Hellström Michel Baraer Emilio Mateo Alejo Cochachin Matthew Westoby Francesca Pellicciotti Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_full | Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_fullStr | Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_short | Thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_sort | thin and ephemeral snow shapes melt and runoff dynamics in the peruvian andes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02379-x |
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