Glacier recession and human vulnerability in the Yanamarey watershed of the Cordillera Blanca, Peru |
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Authors: | Jeffrey T. Bury Bryan G. Mark Jeffrey M. McKenzie Adam French Michel Baraer Kyung In Huh Marco Alfonso Zapata Luyo Ricardo Jes��s G��mez L��pez |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA 2. Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, 1036 Derby Hall, 154 North Oval Mall, Columbus, OH, 43210-1361, USA 3. Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University, 3450 University Street, Montreal, PQ H3A 2A7, Canada 4. Autoridad Nacional del Agua, Unidad de Glaciolog??a y Recursos H??dricos, Avenida Confraternidad Internacional Oeste 167, Huaraz, Peru
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Abstract: | Glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, are undergoing rapid retreat, in large part due to climate change. These changes are significantly altering water availability in the region and pose critical risks to local populations that are highly dependent on these resources for livelihoods. We examine these issues through an interdisciplinary and linked evaluation of hydrological change and livelihood vulnerability in the Yanamarey watershed. Physical observations of the Yanamarey glacier show acceleration in frontal retreat at a rate of 8 m decade???1 since 1970, accompanied by total volume loss on the order of 0.022 km3. Hydrological and hydrochemical analyses document a possible transformation of stream flow over the past decade as the seasonal storage capacity of the glacier has degraded. Recent stream discharge measurements from the proglacial lake below the glacier are more coincident with the highly variable seasonal precipitation than they were during the 1998?C1999 hydrological year. Local household perceptions of glacier recession and seasonal hydrological variability agree with this trend, which is increasing human vulnerability in the watershed. Household case-study survey results demonstrate that shifting water resources, increasing weather extremes and climate-related threats to tourism are all new vectors of vulnerability for household livelihoods. |
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