C038-0013
Influence of ENSO Climate Anomalies on Tropical Glaciers Retreat: Case Quillcay Catchment, Cordillera Blanca, Peru

Friday, 11 December 2020
Poster
Francisco Castillo Vergara1,2, Katy Damacia Medina Marcos1,2, Edwin Anibal Loarte Cadenas1,2 and Hairo Alexander Leon Dextre1,2, (1)National Institute for Research on Glaciers and Mountain Ecosystems, Ancash, Huaraz, Peru, (2)Santiago Antunez de Mayolo National University, Ancash, Huaraz, Peru
Abstract:
ENSO climate anomalies have demonstrated their impact on the tropical and subtropical Andean regions of the world. This multi-year variability in oceanographic and atmospheric conditions has far-reaching impacts on precipitation and temperature patterns, therefore they influence other elements, such as glaciers.

The objective of this research was to analyze the effects of the intensity of ENSO climate anomalies (El Niño and La Niña) on the glacier retreat (area and length of the glacier front) every 3 years during the period 1989-2019. The study is located in the Quillcay catchment and extended from S 9º21'32'' to 9º32'48'' and W 77º18'37'' to 77º32'15'' in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru.

Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing tools were used for a multi-temporal analysis of glacier cover through the NDSI, obtained from Landsat 5 and 8 satellite images. Then, a comparison was realized with the monthly data on the anomalies of the sea surface temperatures of El Niño 1+2, Niño 3, Niño 4, Niño 3.4-ONI and ICEN obtained from NOAA.

The results show that the area of glaciers retreat and reduction of the glacier front are better adjusted for the El Niño 3.4-ONI anomalies (R2 = ~0.4 and ~0.2, respectively). In addition, there are greater retreat glaciers in periods where there are more intense anomaly values of El Niño (moderate and strong events) and the opposite for La Niña periods. This is evidenced in the periods of 1989-1992, 1992-1995 and 2013-2016, where the area of glaciers retreat are ~5.0, ~3.0, and ~2.5 km2, respectively; compared to the periods 1998-2001 and 2010-2013, where only ~0.3 and ~0.1 km2 of glacier retreat area were obtained. The glacier front showed a similar trend to the loss of glacier cover (R2 = ~0.8), where, in the period of 1992-1995 it was reduced by ~1.2 km, unlike the period 1998-2001 where it was only ~0.4 km. However, the trend appears to be largely unaffected by intense ENSO events.

The changes in the trend of the coverage and front of the glaciers observed in the last 30 years in the Quillcay catchment, demonstrate the response of the glaciers to changing climatic conditions such as ENSO.

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