Browsing by Autor "Mariano Masiokas"

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A Review of the Current State and Recent Changes of the Andean Cryosphere
(Frontiers Media, 2020) Mariano Masiokas; Antoine Rabatel; Andrés Rivera; Lucas Ruiz; Pierre Pitte; J. L. Ceballos; Gonzalo Barcaza; Álvaro Soruco; Francisca Bown; Étienne Berthier
The Andes Cordillera contains the most diverse cryosphere on Earth, including extensive areas covered by seasonal snow, numerous tropical and extratropical glaciers, and many mountain permafrost landforms. Here, we review some recent advances in the study of the main components of the cryosphere in the Andes, and discuss the changes observed in the seasonal snow and permanent ice masses of this region over the past decades. The open access and increasing availability of remote sensing products has produced a substantial improvement in our understanding of the current state and recent changes of the Andean cryosphere, allowing an unprecedented detail in their identification and monitoring at local and regional scales. Analyses of snow cover maps has allowed the identification of seasonal patterns and long term trends in snow accumulation for most of the Andes, with some sectors in central Chile and central-western Argentina showing a clear decline in snowfall and snow persistence since 2010. This recent shortage of mountain snow has caused an extended, severe drought that is unprecedented in the hydrological and climatological records from this region. Together with data from global glacier inventories, detailed inventories at local/regional scales are now also freely available, providing important new information for glaciological, hydrological and climatological assessments in different sectors of the Andes. Numerous studies largely based on field measurements and/or remote sensing techniques have documented the recent glacier shrinkage throughout the Andes. This observed ice mass loss has put Andean glaciers among the highest contributors to sea level rise per unit area. Other recent studies have focused on rock glaciers, showing that in extensive semi-arid sectors of the Andes these mountain permafrost features contain large reserves of freshwater and may play a crucial role as future climate becomes warmer and drier in this region. Many relevant issues remain to be investigated, however, including an improved estimation of ice volumes at local scales, and detailed assessments of the hydrological significance of the different components of the cryosphere in Andean river basins.
Dendroclimatological reconstructions in South America: A review
(Elsevier BV, 2009) José A. Boninsegna; Jaime Argollo; Juan Carlos Aravena; Jonathan Barichivich; Duncan A. Christie; M. Eugenia Ferrero; Antonio Lara; C. Quesne; Brian H. Luckman; Mariano Masiokas
Dendroclimatology from Regional to Continental Scales: Understanding Regional Processes to Reconstruct Large-Scale Climatic Variations Across the Western Americas
(Springer Nature (Netherlands), 2010) Ricardo Villalba; Brian H. Luckman; José A. Boninsegna; Rosanne D’Arrigo; Antonio Lara; José Villanueva‐Díaz; Mariano Masiokas; Jaime Argollo; Claudia Solíz; Carlos LeQuesne
Hydroclimate of the Andes Part I: Main Climatic Features
(Frontiers Media, 2020) Jhan Carlo Espinoza; René Garreaud; Germán Poveda; Paola A. Arias; Jorge Molina‐Carpio; Mariano Masiokas; Maximiliano Viale; Lucía Scaff
The Andes is the longest cordillera in the world and extends from northern South America (11°N) to the southern tip of the continent (53°S). The Andes runs through seven countries and is characterized by a wide variety of ecosystems strongly related to the contrasting climate over its eastern and western sides and along its latitudinal extension. In fact, the tropical Andes is the most biodiverse region on Earth. Currently, this region faces the highest potential impact of climate change, which could affect food security and water supplies for about 90 million people. From a scientific and societal view, the Andes present specific challenges because of its unique landscape and the fragile equilibrium between the growing population and its environment. In this manuscript, we provide an updated review of the most relevant scientific literature regarding the hydroclimate of the Andes. This review paper is presented in two parts. Part I is dedicated to summarize the scientific knowledge about the main climatic features of the Andes, with emphasis on mean large-scale atmospheric circulation, the Andes-Amazon hydroclimate interconnections, and the regular cycles of precipitation, including the most characteristic diurnal and annual cycles of precipitation. Part II, which is also included in the research topic “Connecting Mountain Hydroclimate Through the American Cordilleras”, focuses on hydroclimate variability of the Andes at a sub-continental scale.
Hydroclimate of the Andes Part II: Hydroclimate Variability and Sub-Continental Patterns
(Frontiers Media, 2021) Paola A. Arias; René Garreaud; Germán Poveda; Jhan Carlo Espinoza; Jorge Molina‐Carpio; Mariano Masiokas; Maximiliano Viale; Lucía Scaff; P.J. van Oevelen
This paper provides an updated review of the most relevant scientific literature related to the hydroclimate of the Andes. The Andes, the longest cordillera in the world, faces major challenges regarding climate variability and climate change, which impose several threats to sustainable development, including water supply and the sustainability of ecosystem services. This review focuses on hydroclimate variability of the Andes at a sub-continental scale. The annual water cycle and long-term water balance along the Andes are addressed first, followed by the examination of the effects of orography on convective and frontal precipitation through the study of precipitation gradients in the tropical, subtropical and extratropical Andes. In addition, a review is presented of the current scientific literature on the climate variability in the Andes at different timescales. Finally, open research questions are presented in the last section of this article.
Inventory and recent changes of small glaciers on the northeast margin of the Southern Patagonia Icefield, Argentina
(Cambridge University Press, 2015) Mariano Masiokas; Silvia M. Delgado; Pierre Pitte; Étienne Berthier; Ricardo Villalba; Pedro Skvarca; Lucas Ruiz; Jinro Ukita; Tsutomu Yamanokuchi; Takeo Tadono
Abstract Most glaciological studies in Argentina have focused on the large outlet glaciers of the Southern Patagonia Icefield (SPI); the numerous smaller neighboring glaciers have received significantly less attention. We present an inventory of 248 medium- to small-size glaciers (0.01–25 km 2 ) adjacent to the northeast margin of the SPI, describe their change over the period 1979–2005 and assess local and regional climatic variations in an attempt to explain the observed glacier changes. Based on an ASTER mosaic from 20 February 2005 and the ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model, we identified a total glacier area of 187.2 ± 7.4 km 2 between 600 and 2870 m a.s.l. Glaciers are largely debris-free and are concentrated in the western, more humid sector adjacent to the SPI. Using a 20 March 1979 US military intelligence Hexagon KH-9 satellite photograph, we measured a total areal reduction of ∼33.7 km 2 (15.2%) between 1979 and 2005. Ablation season temperatures from the study area have followed a regional warming trend that could partly explain the observed glacier shrinkage. Annual precipitation estimates show a gradual decrease between 1979 and 2002 that may also have contributed to the ice mass loss.