Estimation of integrated water vapor derived from Global Navigation Satellite System observations over Central-Western Argentina (2015–2018). Validation and usefulness for the understanding of regional precipitation events

Camisay, María Fernanda; Rivera, Juan Antonio; Mateo, María Laura; Morichetti, Paola; Mackern, María Virginia

doi:10.1016/j.jastp.2019.105143

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Nevertheless, the variable is poorly sampled over the study area, with one radiosonde measurement per day. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data has been used to retrieve water vapor at both global and regional scales and can be useful for both extreme precipitation and hail forecasting (Calori et al, 2016;Camisay et al, 2020). Modeling studies are by far the most determinant for supporting the activities of hail suppression.…”

Section: A Call For An Improved Science-policy Interfacementioning

confidence: 99%

Sixty Years of Hail Suppression Activities in Mendoza, Argentina: Uncertainties, Gaps in Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Rivera

Otero

Tamayo

et al. 2020

Front. Environ. Sci.

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This paper provides a perspective based on the evaluation of scientific evidence of hail suppression activities in Mendoza, Argentina. The province of Mendoza was home to several cloud-seeding projects over the years intended to prevent hail damage to agriculture. Those projects were motivated by the paramount importance of wine production for the regional and national economy. We discuss the uncertainties and gaps in knowledge identified in the results from the hail suppression activities, framing the available research over the study area on a global context. The results of this study indicate that there is no unequivocal scientific evidence that proves a statistically significant reduction of hail frequency and size as a consequence of hail suppressing activities in Mendoza. Such lack of evidence questions the reliability of the projects after almost 60 years of cloud seeding. By analyzing the existing gaps in knowledge in terms of observations, modeling evaluations and understanding of severe convective systems, the study provides a description of future directions and alternatives for hail damage mitigation that need a better science-policy integration. This study can be replicated in other regions where hail suppressing activities are taking place.

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Section: A Call For An Improved Science-policy Interfacementioning

confidence: 99%

Sixty Years of Hail Suppression Activities in Mendoza, Argentina: Uncertainties, Gaps in Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Rivera

Otero

Tamayo

et al. 2020

Front. Environ. Sci.

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“…The seasonal displacement of the Southeastern Pacific High allows the northward progression of frontal systems associated with mid-latitude cyclones that provide most of the precipitation over the Andes, with atmospheric rivers playing a significant role in precipitation and snow accumulation (Viale et al, 2018;Saavedra et al, 2020). The summer dry season along the Andes is characterized by isolated convective storms in the valleys and the Andean foothills, triggered by diurnal warming and occasional incursions of moist air from Southeastern South America (Garbarini et al, 2019;Camisay et al, 2020). These precipitation events usually generate a peak in streamflow that lasts only a few days, activating ephemeral rivers and increasing the sediment load that affects drinking water treatment plants (Sepúlveda et al, 2015).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Decade of Hydrological Drought in Central-Western Argentina

et al. 2021

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Most of the water used for the development of the main socio-economic activities in Central-Western Argentina (CWA), an arid to semi-arid region, home to most of the Argentinean wine production, relies on surface streamflow from several snow-fed rivers. During the last decade (2010-2020), reduced snow accumulation over the higher elevations of the Andes mountains triggered the occurrence of hydrological drought over CWA, affecting winter tourism, restricting water use for irrigation and domestic use, and leading to socio-political disputes. This study provides a detailed description of the recent hydrological drought conditions through the use of streamflow records from 15 river basins, which were complemented by precipitation, snowpack, and water equivalent thickness measurements to provide a comprehensive picture of the water losses over the last decade. Hydrological drought indices derived from the threshold level method and the standardized streamflow index allowed characterizing the unusualness of this dry period in the context of the last 49 years. The hydrological deficit over the last decade highlighted the challenges faced by the water managers to provide water for irrigation in the main agricultural oases, with a likely overexploitation of the groundwater resources to supplement the limited surface runoff. The hydrological drought severity increased since 2017, with record-breaking levels in several basins, particularly during the period between July 2019 and June 2020 for the rivers located between 35° and 36°S. We identified the main hydrological drought impacts in CWA, as well as the need for improved mitigation strategies to cope with current and future drought conditions. We also analyzed the current limitations in terms of snow and groundwater observations, highlighting the necessity for an effective hydrological drought monitoring system, together with an improved forecast of snow accumulation in the headwaters, which can contribute to better regional water management plans.

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“…On the other hand, the Lowlands region is characterized by a monsoonal precipitation regime, with a more marked seasonality near the Andean foothills (Doyle, 2020). Due to the marked rain shadow effect, the climate in the Lowlands is arid to semi-arid in the west and sub-humid in the east, with convective warm-season rainfalls favored by moist air masses from the Amazon and Atlantic basins (Garbarini et al, 2019;Viale et al, 2019;Camisay et al, 2020). The agroindustrial activities depend mainly on grape and olive production on the plains near the Andes (Cabré and Nuñez, 2020), while cattle production and crops as peanuts, maize and soybean are more relevant in the eastern portion of CWA (east of 67 • W).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular for the arid to semi-arid regions of the world, the water availability for cities, energy production and agriculture, among other activities, is facing more recurrent reductions (Cai et al, 2012;Herrera-Pantoja and Hiscock, 2015;Donnelly et al, 2017). This is the case of Central-Western Argentina (CWA), a dry region where the interplay between the complex topography and the atmospheric circulation determines a wide range of hydroclimatic features (Camisay et al, 2020). In terms of temperature, the CWA region has experienced since the second half of the twentieth Century a sustained increase in the annual mean temperatures, particularly in the daily minimum temperatures, a reduction in the occurrence of frost days, an increase in the frequency of heat waves and a raising of the zero degree isotherm altitude (Barros et al, 2015;Castex et al, 2015;Rusticucci et al, 2016; Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Resources Change in Central-Western Argentina Under the Paris Agreement Warming Targets

2020

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This study documents the projected changes in several components (precipitation, runoff, snow cover and depth, soil moisture) of the hydrological cycle in Central-Western Argentina (CWA) based on the simulations from the IPSL-CM6A-LR model for the warming levels proposed in the Paris Agreement. These warming levels represent the future increase in mean annual temperature of 1.5 and 2°C compared to pre-industrial conditions. A novel regional approach, that uses a set of low-emissions shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) compatible with the Paris Agreement goals, has been applied here for the evaluation of the potential impacts of temperature increase in both the mountainous areas of the Andes and the lowlands on the eastern portion of CWA. Our results show that the timing of reaching the 1.5°C warming level would be between 2032 and 2036 in the CWA lowlands east of the Andes, while this warming level in the Andes mountains of CWA would be 10–15 years earlier as result of the stronger warming with elevation. The higher 2°C warming level would be reached before 2050 in the Andes mountains. Even using the more aggressive mitigation pathways available in the scientific literature (SSP1-1.9 and SSP1-2.6), the IPSL-CM6A-LR model ensemble shows a robust drying signal in the wintertime precipitation over the Andes mountains, which is a concerning result because it implies a reduction of the already scarce water resources draining to the adjacent semi-arid foothills. Our results also show that this drying should be linked to the poleward expansion of the Hadley Circulation. In the lowlands farther east from the Andes, the summertime monsoonal precipitation provides the water resources that are projected to increase under the selected emissions pathways. The expected changes in the analyzed components of the hydrological cycle would be strengthened under the 2°C warming level, particularly the decline of snow amount and surface runoff in the Andes. The results of this study provide insights into the expected impacts of the 1.5 and 2°C warming levels in the CWA regional water resources, which may set the stage for the new discussions of possible options to mitigate them at country and regional levels.

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Estimation of integrated water vapor derived from Global Navigation Satellite System observations over Central-Western Argentina (2015–2018). Validation and usefulness for the understanding of regional precipitation events

Cited by 10 publications

References 66 publications

Sixty Years of Hail Suppression Activities in Mendoza, Argentina: Uncertainties, Gaps in Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Sixty Years of Hail Suppression Activities in Mendoza, Argentina: Uncertainties, Gaps in Knowledge and Future Perspectives

A Decade of Hydrological Drought in Central-Western Argentina

Water Resources Change in Central-Western Argentina Under the Paris Agreement Warming Targets

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