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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Bethan DaviesORCiD, Dr Owen KingORCiD, Dr Ethan Lee
Full text is not currently available for this publication.
Highlights Glaciers, snow, permafrost, lakes and wetlands are natural reservoirs of water. They support communities across the Andes. Andean glaciers are shrinking, and the rate of ice loss is accelerating. Andean glaciers are thinning by an average of 0.7 m per year, ~35% faster than the global average. Climate change is raising air temperatures, decreasing snowfall and increasing droughts across the Andes. Extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent and severe, with heat stress, forest fires, floods and landslides threatening local communities. Under the highest emissions scenarios, projections show an almost total glacier loss in the Tropical Andes. Glaciers across the rest of the Andes will experience significant losses under an optimistic climate scenario, and up to 58% of the present ice volume will be lost under a higher emissions scenario. Warming affects precipitation, snow and glaciers, which together control ecologically, socially and economically important high-altitude wetlands. These wetlands also have the potential to form an alternative water store as glacier snow and ice stores are depleted. Glacier shrinkage and eventual disappearance will decrease downstream water availability, and could contribute to extreme droughts in the arid and semi-arid Andes, impacting food and water security to populations along the length of the Andes. Adaptation strategies should be implemented by working together with affected communities, considering regional variations, and assessing the impact of glacier loss, alongside water demand and human vulnerabilities.
Author(s): Davies BJ, Becker R, Bhattacharjee S, Bradley S, King O, Potter E, Lee E, Andrade M, Ávila F, Baiker JR, Bendle J, Borrell L, Bozkurt D, Bravo C, Buytaert W, Calle J, Carrivick JL, Cuadros-Adriazola J, Curry CS, Drenkhan F, Dussaillant A, Dussaillant I, Edwards T, Falaschi D, Fox E, García JL, Gribbin T, Gonzalez M, Huss M, InnesJones L, Irarrazaval I, Jones J, Li S, Masiokas M, Matthews T, Maussion F, McNabb R, Montoya N, Nicholson L, Paschalis A, Pellitero R, Perry B, Pitte P, Rabatel A, Reid B, Somos-Valenzuela M, Soruco A, Ticona L, Velarde F, Vuille M, Ely J
Publication type: Working Paper
Publication status: Published
Year: 2025
Publisher: Newcastle University
URL: https://www.antarcticglaciers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Policybrief_V3_continuous_booklet.pdf
