H122-08
The new, ever-changing, climate reality of the Arequipa Department, in Peru

Friday, 11 December 2020: 10:51
Virtual
Andre Geraldo de Lima Moraes, Purdue University, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, West Lafayette, IN, United States, Alec Watkins, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States, Laura C Bowling, Purdue University, Agronomy, West Lafayette, IN, United States, Hector Novoa, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru, Jose Porfirio Caceres, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, Arequipa, Peru and Keith Aric Cherkauer, Purdue University, Agricultural & Biological Engineering, West Lafayette, IN, United States
Abstract:
The Arequipa Department in southern Peru is a water-scarce region that supports 1.4 million people, over 70,000 ha of irrigated agriculture, large mining activities, and energy production. It is a highly managed landscape located in one of the regions of the world most affected by climate change. This study aims to evaluate climate trends from 1988 to 2017 in the Arequipa Department and provide information that can facilitate stakeholder’s adaptation to the new climate reality.Trend analysis used daily precipitation and temperature extremes (Tmax and Tmin) from the National Meteorology and Hydrology Service of Peru (SENAMHI) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Data passed through a quality checking process for removal of implausible data, data gap filling, and inhomogeneity detection. After the data quality process, 33 precipitation, 15 Tmax, and 14 Tmin stations were selected for trend analysis. The Mann-Kendall test, at a significance level of 0.10, was used to determine trends and the Theil-Sen slope (Sen’s slope) was used to estimate the magnitude of the change. Sen’s slope was also calculated spatially, using the gridded Arequipa Climate Maps (ACM) dataset.Annual precipitation has increased at an average rate of 2.4 mm/year across the region. However, expressive changes are observed in the Andean area and during the rainy season (Dec - Mar). Results also indicate a delay in the start and end of the rainy season. Positive temperature trends were dominant in the region, with annual Tmax and Tmin increasing on average 0.66°C and 0.96°C, respectively, over the 30-year period. These changes are coupled with a decrease in the number of days per year with temperature below 0oC, especially in elevations between 3000 and 4500 m, and an increase in the number of days with Tmax over 25oC in the coastal and desert areas. Exceptions to the increase in air temperature extremes were found in stations influenced by expanding irrigation projects.
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